The curious case of study-with-me videos

In the world of online video content, some videos exist that can't really be considered riveting entertainment, but actually do gain serious popularity. From vlogs consisting of people simply performing the most mundane everyday tasks to mukbangs of them eating immoral amounts of food, I enjoy thinking about the causes behind the emergence and widespread success of these types of content and what they say about present-day society. Recently, however, I discovered something – study-with-me videos.

A study-with-me video is a live stream or pre-recorded video of someone studying. They allow you to study alongside a stranger on a screen instead of studying by yourself. The videos can be a healthy source of motivation, as dedicated content creators film themselves in aesthetic study environments. The point of this image of productivity is to make it satisfying to look at, while making the viewer want to study too. 

There is also subtle peer pressure involved when you're tempted to peek at your phone and take one too many breaks, but your on-screen study partner is being a better person. 

I focus better with someone who is present in the same room but not interacting with me. For this experience of working better with people around, many enjoy studying in groups with friends. However, more often than not, such group study sessions may not work out. Gossip tends to break out at times making these sessions rather unproductive. Besides, parents might not always allow us to study in groups with our friends.  

Study-with-me videos are an interesting substitute that provide all the benefits of group study and none of the harm. If the idea of studying with a stranger instead of friends is too upsetting, we could take inspiration and video call a friend and study together, with the microphone firmly muted. 

However, study-with-me videos can often create an unrealistic and excessive image of studying and productivity. Examples include vlogs with titles like "24-hour study weekend" or "Study with Me for twelve hours straight". Such extreme cramming is not ideal. Long breaks, sleep, and enjoying your weekends are equally as important as studying to consolidate the information that you learn into your brain. 

Luckily, there is a wide variety of videos to choose from, each with different types of music and sounds in the background switching up the ambience. My personal favourite are the ones where the vloggers study in short repetitive cycles with breaks, following the Pomodoro technique, which is a time management method based on longer stretches of focused work broken by short breaks.

Study-with-me video creators often say that making these videos is helpful for their own academics as well since recording themselves disallows them from taking excessive breaks and checking their phones. Thus, if you're a student interested in content creation, you can try your luck with making study-with-me videos. Doing so can help you engage yourself with your studies in an uninterrupted manner.