Results
We now elaborate the three different themes identified in our data: content-focused, appreciation, and affect. By paying particular attention to how these themes can help us better understand our aim of uncovering the engagement with the video, we see how science communication features in this process and show how we began to identify the long-tail aspects of science communication more generally.
Content-Focused
The first category of "video themes" helps explain what content that commenters focused on most. There were three significant sub-themes evident in our analysis: 1) simplification, 2) video process, and 3) channel engagement. The simplification category refers to comments that note simplicity in some way. The video process sub-code refers to comments that focused on how Kurzgesagt went about making their videos, be it in the visuals or the production process. Finally, the channel engagement sub-code brings to the forefront that many of the comments didn't reference the theme of simplicity or science communication but instead addressed the channel's value in the commenter's life. To clarify where those themes occur exactly in the video, it is helpful to revisit the video a bit further.
First, regarding simplicity, the channel sets the foundation of the video by stating that simplification is necessary for science communication, but they also acknowledge that some may view this simplification as a lie. They addressed this tension head on in the first sentence of "... And We'll Do It Again" when they stated, "Kurzgesagt is lying to you, in every video, even in this one" (Kurzgesagt — In A Nutshell, 2021, 0:00–0:05). However, they then clarified and toned down their rhetoric of lying and moved to "oversimplification" when they added a bit later, that by "lies" they meant "the concept of 'lies to children'" (0:35), meaning that "on the path to explaining something complicated you start off with a little lie, a useful oversimplification, that makes it easier to grasp a concept" (0:35–0:45). Throughout the video, they frequently returned to this discussion of simplification in comments like, "By beginning at a place of oversimplification you are building a framework, a foundation that you can then build upon and add nuance and complexity later on" (1:01–1:05), and "Simplifications like these are not just meant to dumb things down they are actually useful for experts themselves" (3:57–4:03).
Second, Kurzgesagt also touched on the theme of video process in the video when it made statements like, "Because our videos distill very complex subjects into flashy ten minute pieces and unfortunately, reality is, well, complicated" (0:07–0:14) and also added that to get to come to their conclusions, "we try to read as many primary sources as possible, talk to multiple experts and document our simplifications and give further reading in our sources doc" (6:20–6:30), thereby reiterating the labor involved in the production process.
Finally, the video addressed the channel when it clarified that because their aim in this video is transparency, they also wanted to sum up their whole purpose as a channel. They stated:
All of this brings us to the purpose of our videos. The most important thing we want to do with this channel is to inspire you and spark your curiosity for science and the amazing universe we live in. Learning often doesn't feel like fun, but with the right story, it is one of the best things and we hope to provide that to you. Ultimately we hope that we light a fire in you that motivates you to read books, pay more attention at school or university and just get interested in a scientific field or two and learn more on your own. Not because you have to, but because you want to know more about how the world really works. Because the universe is beautiful and science is a way of seeing this beauty more clearly. And we hope that knowing that we have to simplify a bit does not make you enjoy our videos less. (7:30–8:19)
These three themes correspond directly to the comments in our sub-codes. First, regarding passages related to simplicity, a sample comment stated:
The simplified version itself is not easy to explain based on real facts of science. You guys are making the best quality videos. thank you for enlighting us with such a fun way to learn something new. [sic]
Second, comments coded in the video process category often noted either the visuals or the production steps. For instance, referencing the visuals, one commenter stated:
I wish someone would mention the plumbus at 4:51. Art inspiring art. In all seriousness, nobody does science communication like the team at Kurzgesagt, let alone how to communicate the art of science communication.
Regarding the production process, another commenter added:
I imagine a lot goes on behind the scenes for each 10 minute video. Work at a place where a lot of work goes into creating a final simplified hopefully useful thing and It's not always obvious how much work, trial and error, actually went it's making. Much appreciation to you! [sic]
Finally, an example of the channel sub-code stated:
To be honest, this channel is one of a few that makes me interested in Science. If I found this channel when I'm in high school, probably I'm gonna pick a science for my primary study. Thanks for making this kind of videos, and please don't stop. [sic]
It is of clarification that one comment can have multiple codes, such as the first example about simplification that not only comments on a "simplified version" but also compliments the "best quality videos" which also speaks to the production process. The categorization of video themes is shown in Figure 1.
Overall, we find that this prevalence of the three sub-coded themes is significant for three individual reasons and one more holistic reason. First, for the sub-code of simplification, it is important to note that comments tended to focus on simplicity rather than lies despite the fact that "we lied to you" was a driving narrative in the piece. In fact, there were only five mentions of lies and 16 mentions of the rhetoric of the word simplification (e.g., simple, simplify, simply). When the theme of a lie was mentioned, it was not in an overtly negative way and was instead more neutral. For instance, one comment noted, "Kurzgesagt : activates brutal honesty mode and exposes that it lied to us All of us : It's.....Acceptable." This passage directly addresses Kurzgesagt's admission or confession of lying, but it also notes that this seems like an acceptable practice. Whether or not the comment was using sarcasm or not is up to interpretation, but without interpretation, the comment is not overly making a negative statement. Further, the more frequent comments reflecting on simplicity were often positive. For instance, one comment noted, "Yes the tightrope between simple clarity and oversimplification is a balancing act all us edutubers are battling with. Thanks for articulating this Philipp and team!" In this comment, the commenter could have evoked or engaged with the word or concept of a "lie," saying something like, "yes, there is a tightrope between lying and simplicity," but did not. Moreover, the commenter brings in a personal remark of appreciation by thanking Philipp, Kurzgesagt's founder. So, these comments related to this code, often reflected positively on Kurzgesagt's approach of simplicity and their ability to relate difficult concepts in an understandable way.
Second, that the comments also focused on the production process is important because this harkens back to more traditional recommendations for YouTubers in that quality videos with images and consistency are important to "success" on YouTube. As noted, previous literature has supported clear messages, a good production process and visuals, and consistent publication of science communication with an established brand (van der Schelde et al., 2021).
Finally, we found the focus on the channel a significant point because it was the largest focus of the comments. Like Kurzgesagt's own confessional about the process of science communication, 38 of the 50 comments on the video were directed in some way towards discussing the channel, often describing not just how the commenters liked the video, but how much they like the channel and all of Kurzgesagt's work. When Kurzgesagt professed its own hopes and purposes for the videos, the commenters returned with their own confessionals about their engagement with the channel as a whole. That is a notable result, as a typical confessional video on YouTube does not spur these responses, nor does this video contain a call-to-action to elicit such responses. This reveals a potentially underlying assumption of how positively attuned this audience is towards an honest, or 'backstage' look into science communication.
More holistically, each of these three themes was addressed in the video, so it is not a surprise that they were thematically part of many of the comments. However, we find them important to draw attention to because they are indicative of the effect they have on their audience and how they understand this video's message.
Appreciation
Second, we found that in their comments, viewers actively appreciated the video. We called this second category "appreciation." We built on the analysis of the content-focused section to identify the prominent ways that the comments reacted: with an expression of praise, thanks, or an extension of the conversation without praise or thanks. While praise and thanks were prominent reactions, some comments were more neutral with a response that was not overtly complementary. These often paraphrased or directly quoted the video or did not include enough information to indicate whether something was positive or negative.
Based on our coding, we found that 42 of the 50 comments either praised or thanked the video or the channel team, with the remainder more neutral. To get a better sense of the coding, an excerpt of a comment categorized as "praise" stated, "Kurzgesagt: Makes mistakes Also kurzgesagt: sorry we lied You guys are great, even though I'm not gonna get a science degree, your videos are always entertaining to learn." This comment more explicitly lauded that the channel was "great" and "entertaining." Alternatively, an excerpt of a comment coded as "thanks," ends with the statement, "thank you for enlighting [sic] us with such a fun way to learn something new" and directly expresses gratitude towards the channel — almost as if they were thanking an actual person. Finally, a more neutral comment stated, "Science is not the truth. Science is finding the truth. When science changes its opinion, it didn't lie to you. It learned more." Here, more interpretative information was not added in the comment. Figure 2 shows a visualization of the sentiment distribution in the analyzed comments.
We argue that this prevalence of comments offering praise and thanks was a significant pattern because it indicated how commenters received the video, and in this case, it was overwhelmingly positive—demonstrating a sense of appreciation or even gratitude. This video in particular, too, is potentially situated in an even more vulnerable space for criticism because its premise is set on a controversial stance of critiquing itself, which potentially effects not only Kurzgesagt but also other YouTubers, and even all of science communication. With the video's thumbnail declaring, "We lied to you" and the video titled, "...And We'll Do It Again," Kurzgesagt's simplification of the topics and necessary omissions has content that "lies" to its viewers. While those familiar with a concept like framing—where journalists "choose the elements of a situation that best convey the gist of an event or problem ... and they decide how to present the story in an appealing and comprehensible fashion" (Moy et al., 2016, p. 7)—may understand the premise's nuances more deeply, anyone not trained in journalistic practices or those already skeptical of the media could have a more negative response towards Kurzgesagt lying to them. Some researchers have even challenged this framing approach in science communication, noting that we need to pay more attention to the way the stories are simplified and told (Medvecky & Leach, 2019). However, the presence of support for the positive comments in the comments through praise or thanks indicates to us that the audiences supported this honesty and transparency and were subsequently motivated to praise and thank the channel's efforts.
Affect
Third, viewers relayed some form of an emotional or affective response by the viewers, leading to the next category, "affect." Twenty-nine of the 50 comments indicated how the channel had moved the commenter emotionally or on a more personal level. This includes comments such as "inspired," and sentences like "i feel more motivated," "I feel so happy," "it's been a joy to be entertained," "I get extremely moved at the end of your videos," "this channel was pioneer to spark the love of science," or "it makes me feel like perhaps I'm not the insignificant speck." For instance, we see in the comment, "I've downloaded tons of your videos to watch with my 3 brothers and they understand it because it's simple and educational, we love it for that.. We hope you keep making videos," an expression of love and an indication that the video created an emotional response in the commenter.
To provide even more depth for this category: While a number of comments referenced an affective response, an additional subset of lengthier comments indicated a deeper level of affect. These remarks were more personal and included details of the commenter's own discovery of science and how the channel played a larger role in their life, even motivating life changes. To see this, we illustrate with four examples, each offering more intense examples of the channel's impact. For a first example, one comment noted how the writer was in expectation of each video and that the channel had lit up their life:
Thank you folks for such beautiful videos! I'm so glad I stumbled across your channel years ago. I'm on the edge of my seat all the time for your next video. Your merch certainly does brighten the world! My girlfriend and I were lucky enough to get quite a few of your posters as gifts this holiday, and we couldn't be happy with their quality and spectacular designs. Thanks again, and happy 2022!!
This comment illustrated attention to the Kurzgesagt channel as well as it revealed personal details about the commenter that they received channel merchandise as gifts and articulates how the channel motives the commenter to await new videos and embrace the merchandise.
A second and even more personal example of this deep affect is the comment that stated:
I'm an Engineering student and you ABSOLUTELY have inspired me further in STEM. Best channel on youtube, I wish your videos went longer. Brilliant team of people. Respect.
In this example, in addition to expressing affect, the comment reveals personal details about the commenter and their schooling, noting the importance of the channel and describing it as the best YouTube channel, and even suggests how the channel has influenced their life to inspire them further into STEM.
For an even more revealing answer, another example of this emotional connection can be found in this comment that stated:
i was in med school when i started watching this amazing channel. im now a first year doctor and all i can say it's been a joy to be entertained with oversimplifications of complex information that ties neatly in such a gorgeously illustrated narrative. this channel has sparked back my interest in learning about space, an area i long gave up in undergrad when i realized i was miserable learning all the math in physics! (cardiovascular physiology is enough for me, thanks) so thank you for your videos helping reach others and helping them become excited about science again. [sic]
Remarkably, this is an expression of long-term engagement with Kurzgesagt's work and linked to a personal connection or step in their personal development regarding their career (choices). This post indicates affective joy, the personal details of being a doctor, an attention towards the channel, and a lifestyle change where the commenter is now interested in learning about space again. Self-described, this person wanted to study space, or had an interest in it, yet decided to (as a further reveal in the comment) study cardiovascular physiology and train to be a doctor. Nevertheless, due to Kurzgesagt's work they can still follow their passion and learn about it through these simplified videos.
Finally, one comment can be seen as an emblematic example to show how science communication can have a long-term impact:
I have been subscribing with Kurzgesagt since 2015! Trust me, this channel was pioneer to spark the love for science esp cosmology. Your valuable content eventually helped me to dive further in depth of the subject whether the subject be astrophysics or some other one. Due to you guys, I got to learn more and more about humans and about the book called Sapiens as well. I am an undergraduate student who is pursuing BSc from distant learning and that's why self-study is all I can rely on. Since, most of the straight science often seems overwhelming when maths and graphs comes in; your channel taught me that both science and Universe are really beautiful and science helps human to explore Universe's truest beauty via venturing with laws and theories. Thank you to entire Kurzgesagt team members. [sic]
From a viewer since 2015, the comment noted how influential the channel has been in not only motivating the commenter to start their study, but it has kept them going in their pursuit of information and understanding of science. The prevalence of such comments being afforded a top-level response indicates how important affect is as the comments go beyond praise and thanks by further expressing how the work moved the viewer.
Overall, these comments allow us to see a bit more of who is watching the channel and why they feel this level of connection with the video or channel itself. They highlight the long-term potentials of science communication as an expression of how their lives have been changed because of the Kurzgesagt channel and its content.