Ordinary routines appeal to variety of viewers
On YouTube, nearly anything can be shared and turned into a good story. Content doesn’t have to have a particularly thrilling plot, and something as simple as opening the wrapper of the newest candy bar may appeal to many viewers.Proof of this is in the growing number of YouTube clips with the hashtags #WIMB and #GRWM.
WIMB is an abbreviation for “What’s in My Bag” and GRWM stands for “Get Ready With Me.”
In WIMB videos, YouTubers empty their bags on camera and explain why they carry certain items when going out.
GRWM clips show how YouTubers prepare for school or work.
One GRWM clip produced by a teenage YouTuber named Gaeun starts with the sound of an alarm.
The alarm is ringing but she can’t get out of bed. She manages to wake up and begins her morning routine.
The camera follows and shows Gaeun brushing her teeth, washing her hair and dabbing lotion and sunscreen onto her face.
The YouTuber finally puts on her school uniform and waves her hand in front of the camera by saying “Off to school.” The five-minute-long clip ends there. It has earned 1.1 million views so far.
Routine videos are one of the most sought-after clips, too.
GRWM videos shed light on the process of getting ready to go out while routine clips focus more on specific events of the day and show how things are done in an orderly way.
In workout routine videos, YouTubers share their entire exercise process, from warm-up to cool-down.
Night routine videos also get a lot of traffic. In night routine clips, YouTubers tidy up their outfits that they wore that day, remove makeup or even water their plants.
“Study with Me” videos are also catching on with young people. In these clips, YouTubers record themselves turning pages or taking notes.
YouTuber Nojambot, who runs his own channel dedicated to the Study with Me genre, gained fame for his good looks and has even endorsed a few products.
Kim Eui-yeon, a professor of psychology at Inha University, said, “Koreans are more open about sharing their everyday lives than people from other cultures.”
These video clips are not only appealing to Koreans, but they have become popular in other countries too.
“When feeling insecure, people want to check and make sure that they are not too different from others,” said Lim Myung-ho, a professor of psychology at Dankook University.
BY KANG HONG-JUN, JEONG MI-RI [estyle@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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