YouTube killed the TV Star

Let me tell you a secret, I have been with no TV at home for almost eight years now. And you know what, I don’t miss it at all. That’s right, who needs a TV when you can watch pretty much everything on YouTube?

From the weirdest thing possible that you might find interesting enough to watch at any given time, to lessons about anything you would like to learn about. There’s this channel where somebody is eating their meal in front of the camera, just like that or the channel where there’s a guy crushing stuff with a hydraulic press just for fun. You may like to see somebody eating a table full of food in one go, people playing video games, people unboxing the last trend in technology or even women trying on a bunch of different clothes. Oh yeah, there are tons of those type of channels. Of course, you can also come across something more inspiring like cooking and baking channels, crafting, singing, painting, drawing...you name it. And in case you think your life isn’t exciting enough or you find it interesting to see how is to live in another country, you can always enjoy the life of others watching their vlog.

Travelling - ahem - is something we haven’t done for a while. That’s not a problem at all. Just search for the country or city you are fancy about and enjoy jaw-dropping drone images in 4K you could only dream of.

During the lockdown, I could discover a handful of very interesting YouTube channels that, for my personal interest, I keep visiting once a week or so to enjoy their new videos. Because not everything is watching tv series, right? One needs to see the real thing sometimes and while watching fiction stuff can be quite nice mostly when the reality is often a bit unpleasant, it’s great to be able to learn new things in a fun and entertaining way. And it’s also free, by the way.

Here are my favourite YouTube channels and a video sample of each one of them.

It’s okay to be smart

Feed your curiosity about nature, science, physics and pretty much anything on planet Earth with this channel. Its creator, Joe Hanson, Ph. D. will take you through all the bits and pieces of everything you need to know about the natural secrets hidden around us. A great way of learning new things.

Kurzgesagt

This channel is similar to the previous one but has a pinch of fantasy and optimistic cynicism. A short and entertaining animation video will explain to you everything you need to know about biology, science, physics and some other stuff. Again, you will learn a lot of new stuff with this channel.

Verge Science

Find interesting experiments and explorations into the future of science. Energy, space, nature, the human mind and body, AI, and whatever else they would like to entertain us about.

Debunked

Debunked investigates the world's biggest myths, the misbeliefs that so many people still think are facts, the 'What Ifs', 'What Happens When' as well as those little problems that may cause some people to stay awake at night ("Have I had too much sugar and caffeine?", "Is it safe to fly?", "What actually happens if throw a penny of the Empire State Building?").

CNBC

In this official YouTube channel, you will have plenty of interesting videos about current affairs affecting our daily life. From politics to economy, technology and community themes. Although focused mainly in the U.S. territory, the content can be taken as of global interest.

DW Documentary

This channel gives you information beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events.

City Beautiful

Here you will find very good videos dedicated to educating everyone about cities and city planning. They cover topics such as transportation, land use planning, and urban design. Given that most of us live in a city, this is a very good way to learn about our environment.

Bloomberg Quicktake

This is a global streaming news network whose coverage embraces your whole world, from your career ambitions to your personal passions and larger societal concerns. Their videos provide the details you need to adapt and thrive in this time of constant transformation across all features of our lives.

Fully Charged Show

They say that this is the world's number 1 clean energy & electric vehicle channel and I think it’s fairly true. This channel is not only about electric cars, bikes, boats, planes and pretty much any type of mobility but how we generate and even own the electricity to power these machines.

From looking behind the myths of renewable energy to seeking the truth about conventional generation Robert Llewellyn demonstrates what the future could have in store for us all.

The B1M

This is the definitive video channel for construction. This channel’s mission is to fundamentally change the perception of construction on planet Earth, attracting more people to this incredible industry. If you also happen to like architecture like me, you will enjoy this channel very much.

MKBHD

The Youtuber and channel’s mind and soul, Marques Brownlee, will review tons of brand new released tech through high-quality videos. He always talks in a very clear and honest way so you will definitely know if the product on review is for you or not.

Digital Foundry

Digital Foundry specialises on game technology and hardware reviews, using the best capture and analysis tools to provide a unique look at the way games play. If you like video games and the technology behind its assets, you can’t miss this awesome channel.

Kara and Nate

These two American guys have a lovely travelling vlog. They have already visited a hundred countries around the globe, capturing great quality images and collecting a bunch of experiences that they will nicely share throughout their awesome videos. This year they stopped travelling to get into a new adventure; buying and living in a converted Mercedes van. It’s impossible not to fall in love with this fun couple.

So, did you find anything interesting? I hope you did.

Now, I have very nice memories from my childhood when, by this time of the year, my brothers and I were helping my mother set up the Christmas decoration around the flat. I do remember that in the meantime, we were listening to Christmas video clips coming from an old VHS tape made by my mother. Always the same songs, year after year, but lovely ones all the same. Those were very happy moments, full of excitement. And from all those video clips, this was always my favourite.

I wish you all to have a lovely Christmas time with your family and friends and a very happy new year. 😉.