Music Reaction Channels

In the recent years, music reaction channels on YouTube have become quite a thing. These channels mainly react to forms of alternative music such as rock, metal and other genres that like to go with the “its not pop music” identity.

Cultural Shock

The usual consumer base of this media, largely comprises of nerdy, introverted, and in recent years (due to the desensitization of the word nerd) autistic people, which in turn largely contains Caucasian males. Males, already being the more alienated of the sexes in modern society. This is contrasted by the Shiny Happy People^[1] which contain people from varying origins, women, people of African, Asian descent, classical musicians, pretty much anyone that exists as a sharp contrast to these “not-pop heads”. This contrast not only provides the “not-pop heads” with a bigger shock values than the genres or art they consume, as it establishes a relation between the socially acceptable and what is in a way the complete anti thesis of all values society stands for. Bridging the gap between consent and dissent. The “not-pop heads” being desensitized themselves to these extreme genres find great entertainment in seeing new people be exposed to them.

Parasocial Agency

Apart from this these videos providing entertainment via a different form of cultural shock, serve to make parasocial relationships between the viewer and the influencer. The viewers at a large being people with small social circles and suffering alienation take great pleasure in this new “listening partner” they have.

One of the punk and alternative music icons, Henry Rollins talks highly of the importance of having a special friend that serves as a listening partner.

Henry Rollins comes from the era of 80’s LA hardcore punk rock. When and where music, even listening it was a physical experience. Mosh pits, as seen by us at the modern “not-pop” festivals were invented during this era. Full of live gigs, and bands and local pubs willing to take force of these punk bands, the era during which this music was made was a totally different time.^[2] Sound was the way to express yourselves, bands were in plenty so were venues for gigs. The counterculture found its life though music. The internet wasn’t a thing back then.

Now, these genres are more actively consumed and discovered through the internet rather than having a real life presence in form of local sub-cultures. People no longer have friends that listen to the same sort of music as them, I personally as a listener of “non-pop” genres, have felt this alienation. To people such as these, reaction channels are vendors of parasocial relationships. Single use friends that listen to the same music as you.

^[1] Shiny Happy People

^[2] Hardcore punk is a genre that has been immune to this reaction channel phenomena, probably due to its political stance and a self aware listener base.

Henry Rollins, and his listening partner Ian Mackaye