There’s a new trend among college kids. Actually, it isn’t that new, rather new to those of us who are no longer in school. They’re called gongbang videos and, not unlike ASMR videos where you listen to soft noises or mukbang vids where you watch people eat, these videos have a very unique following.
Gongbang, also known as “Study With Me,” are basically videos of someone studying for hours. These visual study buddies help people feel less alone, which ultimately helps them concentrate and up their productivity game.
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Business Insider spoke to the creator of one of these popular YouTube channels called The Man Sitting Next To Me, who is studying to be an account and livestreams himself prepping for tests — sometimes for hours. He tells BI that “When you’re studying by yourself, you can feel alone. But they can reduce their loneliness by getting the sensation of studying with other people. ”
He says the first benefit his viewers get by watching him is motivation. “By watching other people studying, they can also get motivated to study hard. And for myself, by studying with all of you, I can prevent myself from getting lazy and continue to focus with my study.”
Another YouTuber, Jamie Lee, runs a channel called TheStrive Studies, which has nearly 160-thousand subscribers. Her videos come with music and no music. They range from 33 minutes to more than two hours. The latter has racked up 2.4 million views.
She started filming herself while she was in med school.
Lee tells Business Insider that her videos help people focus, especially in today’s age of electronic devices. “Every time they’re tempted to do something on their phone or go somewhere on their website, they kinda look up and see that I’m still studying on the screen, so it kind of motivates them to keep studying and stay focused on what they’re supposed to be doing.”
Lee’s last video was 10 months ago, which makes sense now that she’s no longer in med school. As for TMSNTM, “I promised the people in my community to continue gongbang for the rest of my life. So I’m gonna continue. But I will add more content like tax advice.”
