I open YouTube on my phone and find the latest James Corden Carpool Karaoke in my recommendations. What’s the first thing I do after picking the video? By natural instinct, I scroll straight down to the sea of comments. And there I stay, spending more time on this hub of random thoughts and feelings than on the actual video.
Why do I always start off with the comments? Multiple reasons. If it’s a new workout video, I always find it useful to check if the reviews are positive or not before giving it a shot. Other times, I’ll pick a new vlog by my favorite influencers only to realize it’s almost half an hour long. That’s when my short attention span gives in and I start surfing below for the main highlights of the video through timestamps. With music videos, the comments section is a gold mine for Easter egg analyses by superfans. How else was I supposed to catch that married couple running past Demi Lovato in the last few seconds of “I Love Me,” a subtle shade towards her ex Wilmer and his new fiancé? And sometimes I’m simply tempted by the promise of some quality comedy, although I have to admit that the “Who’s here after…?” comments can get quite annoying.
Yet there are those times I wonder what would happen if I stopped myself from scrolling. Would I still have considered Harry Styles’s cover of Lizzo’s “Juice” a masterpiece if I hadn’t read that comment exclaiming that “everything that comes out of his mouth is pure magic!” ?
Just some food for thought…