I feel like I spend most of my free time catching up with what my YouTube algorithm thinks I should watch. Most times it’s even hard to choose between the many appealing thumbnails that pop up when you open the app; there’s so much content I want to watch but so little time. However, there are some days when I feel stuck—nothing on my home page feels clickable. Those days I always think to myself, “I wish there was an app that could tell me what to watch based on how I’m feeling,” or “I wish I could just discover new favorite content creators without having to spend time deciding if I like them.”
If you want something done, do it yourself, right?
This article will compile my favorite YouTubers based on how they make me feel, in other words, the vibe they give me. These are the ones I always go to when I don’t know what to watch—needless to say they’re pretty specific to my interests. So if you eat while watching Cody Ko-like commentary videos, occasionally going for the more serious video essay, and you’re low-key bookwormish, I think I might have some interesting recs for you!
JUST WANT TO LAUGH AND ESCAPE REALITY—CHILL & FUNNY COMMENTARY
I already mentioned my probably unhealthy habit of eating while watching Cody Ko‘s videos, mainly those featuring Kelsey or Noel. However, there are plenty more commentary YouTubers that make it to my faves list. Apart from other big names such as Danny Gonzalez, Drew Gooden, or Kurtis Conner, I’d like to shout out a couple of content creators that are not as well known and deserve more recognition.
Eddy Burback doesn’t post as regularly as other channels, but his videos are a goldmine. He mostly comments on pop-culture-related topics—from classic millennial TV shows and movies that don’t age well, cough cough Glee, to his take on the future of entertainment. He definitely prefers quality over quantity, which is why whenever he uploads a new video, I save it for a special moment when I can pay full attention. On the other hand, Scott Cramer focuses his content on weird and funny ads and TV shows, uploading much more frequently. He sometimes gets more personal and tells stories about his own life, such as his awkward appearance in a Super Bowl commercial.
“LET’S LEARN SOMETHING TODAY”—SERIOUS/DETAILED COMMENTARY
Funny commentary is entertaining and all, but sometimes one wants to relieve the guilt of consuming hours of YouTube by watching more educational content. For those of you looking to be exposed to subjects you think you should know more about, I have a few recs from different types of commentators. One of my favorite social and media commentary YouTubers is Tiffany Ferguson. Her series Internet Analysis examines how social issues, such as class disparity or racism, are represented in social media. Salem Tovar makes similar content, sometimes throwing in some makeup or beauty tutorials. Miiasaurous also makes videos on popular culture and media, but she primarily focuses on specific internet personalities using a darker and comedic tone. Ada on Demand is another great creator to add to the list, and her range goes from looking back at TV shows and movies to getting political and analyzing recent news.
For those of you who are fashion lovers, you must subscribe to Mina Le. She looks at fashion trends in entertainment and history, mostly analyzing their social implications at the time and their impact on society. Lastly, kind of as an appreciation to a random channel series I’ve grown to love, I have to mention Watcher‘s Puppet History. Ryan Vergara and Shane Madej, also known for Buzzfeed’s Unsolved series, join multiple special guests in a very particular quest to understand particular historical events. If you like history class, you’ll love binge-watching this show.
“WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?”—LIFESTYLE/VLOG-TYPE CONTENT
This section is mainly inspired by non-other than icon Emma Chamberlain. Whenever I feel overwhelmed as a student in my early twenties, I seek her content as a stress reliever. Everyone preaches her new editing and storytelling style, which to me represents how people our generation feel navigating the early stages of adulthood and independence. I personally admire how easily she opens up about her mental health—she makes me feel like I’m not alone. Nicole Rafiee also keeps it real; however, she creates a combination of super entertaining vlogs and storytime videos. Finally, Linh Truong documents her life as a Georgetown student and content creator with impressive home decorating skills. She mainly uploads day in the life diary-type videos in which she proves how time management is key to success. To be honest, watching these channels almost feels like being on FaceTime with a friend who tells you everything will be alright.
“I SHOULD READ SOMETHING, BUT I’LL WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT BOOKS INSTEAD”—BOOKTUBE
I’m guilty of spending more hours watching BookTube than actually reading books, which is why I’ve got content creator recommendations for days. However, the following are some of the most popular and, to my taste, the best Booktubers out there. Ariel Bissett is an avid reader and an impressive house renovator. Even though she’s been more focused on house-related content lately, her book recommendations are varied and golden. It’s hard not to lose focus and stare at her beautiful shelves during her videos, though; they’re definitely an aesthetic work of art. Noelle Gallagher‘s shelves are also aesthetically satisfying, and her book shopping vlogs make me want to run to a Barnes and Noble every time. She has an exquisite taste—which I think I subconsciously trust because she’s doing a master’s in English lit.
If you’re a fan of daily vlogs, storytime videos, and book content, Jack Edwards is your guy. He reads an insane number of books a year, which he usually recaps in videos about different celebrities’ reading tase. He also documents his life as a recent graduate who works virtually from Paris—the life. His secondary channel centers more on the vlog-type of content and hauls, which are not as present in his main channel. Finally, I want to mention a smaller channel which I believe is the future of BookTube: uncarley. She is kind of similar to Jack, but her comedic tone and personality set her apart from every other content creator on the platform. Also an Emma Chamberlain stan, she combines internet culture and commentary on her take on literature and favorite books.
“UGH, I JUST WANT TO BE HUGGED”—FEEL-GOOD CONTENT
Due to this being a very subjective category, I’ll just mention a couple of YouTubers that personally make me feel good inside. First, the absolute power couple made by Will Darbyshire and Arden Rose—who have recently become engaged. Will doesn’t upload much to his own channel, and his videos feel more like short artistic films. He captures his relationship with Rose in such a cute and cozy way it literally feels like a hug. On the other hand, Rose focuses more on vlogs and hauls, with Will making casual appearances on her channel.
Last but not least, I have to mention a content creator that makes me feel uplifted with every video she uploads. Bestdressed fills my emotional batteries with her bubbly and artistic personality. The majority of her content is about fashion and, lately, New York apartment hunting. However, the way she talks about typically taboo topics like self-love and sexuality makes me feel like she could be a bestie.
If you ever relate to any of these categories and don’t know what to watch, I really hope you give some of these names a chance! They make every day a little better for me, and I know they would make yours better too.