Data about shared online video:
According to Mary Madden (2009, July 25):
1. 76% young adult internet users (ages 18-29) report online consumption of video, compared with 57% of online adults ages 30-49, 46% ages 50-64, and 39% ages 65 and older.
2. For adult internet users, 31% watch comedy or humorous videos. For young adults,56% watching humorous videos.
3. 67% video viewers ages 18-29 send others links to videos they find online.
According to Kristen Purcell (2010, June 3):
Based on above data, what conclusion can be drawn? Do you think if online educational videos contain entertaining elements, they will gain popularity rapidly among young adults? I do not only think so, but also have a personal experience as a proof to this conclusion.
One successful example of online video program for young people
This summer, an online video program, OMG American English! attracted me. This is a daily (Mon though Fri) updated English learning program. Every weekday, a lovely American girl, Jessica Beinecke, who speaks fluent Mandarin, sits in front of her web camera teaching American idioms and slangs around a topic to Chinese viewers. Those topics are closely related to Americans’ daily life. For example, the first OMG video that I watched is talking about Yucky Gunk (sleepies, earwax, booger, snot, drool and slobber, ect).
Other topic includes Bust My butt, You’re such a PEACH! Blinding Date, and Sick As A Dog, ect. You may think these topics are too informal to be taught in an English learning program. But remember, OMG American English is in form of shared online videos! and young people love humorous online videos! In addition, the expressions taught in this program are indeed what Chinese young learners need. They need authentic English to fluently communicate with native English speakers, and they are eager to know the real American culture. Because of the perfect combination of the informational (useful expression which young learners need) and entertaining (funny topics and Jessica’s signature peppy and comical reaching style) features, OMG American English has gain great popularity among Chinese young people within a short time after it debut. I shared the video “Yucky Gunk” on my personal social networking page, some of my friends responded that they also like it.
Some topics from OMG American English
I watched the video you posted and I can definitely see how this would be useful! When you are learning a language because you plan to visit a country and live there for some time, you don't want to only know formal language - you need to know what to call "gross" things too, as well as idioms like "sick as a dog" and "cutting the cheese." When I took German in school, the lessons were usually about very formal situations and not about how to talk to peers. It is important for language instruction to cover all of those areas, and if formal school language instruction doesn't teach about eye sleepies and boogers, then I'm glad this girl has taken to the Internet to do it. She has a very nice web presence.
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