Have you ever participated in a social experiment?
If you answered no, then you might have been in one anyway without even realizing it!
Many YouTube channels today are directly and indirectly conducting social experiments with various participants. An example of a direct version would be bringing in a group of people (who already know about their participation in a social experiment) into a studio to essentially be in it, while an indirect version is unknowingly taking part in a social experiment by doing something as simple as answering a question or reacting to something that a channel host may be doing! In addition, there is likely a hidden camera somewhere!
Social experiments are meant to dig deep down into societal trends, or just put people in different situations to measure reactions!
Here are some popular YouTube channels that are centered around social experiments:
1. “That Was Epic” (Indirect)
Led by the host Juan, “That Was Epic” seeks to make epic social experiments in the form of asking awkward questions or just acting awkward in public (usually college campuses or the street). Many people can’t do what the special Juan can -- he’s bold, fearless, and focused on his goal of making the most entertaining videos for his audience.
What might some of those videos center around, you ask? Well, Juan doesn’t hone in on one thing, and his content is quite diverse. If you want a video about asking dumb questions at Harvard, going to Pizza Hut for directions to Domino’s, falling to the ground in public with a bunch of cash, or picking up college girls in a toy truck, then Juan is your guy!
The YouTuber has over 4 million subscribers and 198 videos for you to enjoy! All his videos are unique, with most getting views in the millions.
Juan also has a side channel called “Almost Epic.”
2. “The Daily Dropout” (Indirect)
Like Juan, “The Daily Dropout” focuses on indirect social experiments on college campuses or on the street. This channel primarily has hosts asking rather peculiar questions to random pedestrians.
“The Daily Dropout” features multiple hosts, with the main ones being Steven Schapiro and Lara Fraser, both of whom have their own individual YouTube channels as well. A primary way these bold hosts make their videos more entertaining is intentionally acting confused, nervous, or weird.
Anything is fair game on this channel, granted it’s an odd or uncomfortable topic. Are you looking for a husband? That may be a random question, but something completely normal for this channel’s content.
On this hilarious channel, you can expect videos about playing footsies with random people, awkward phone calls in public, out-of-this-world pickup lines, and other pranks and antics!
This YouTube channel has 2.3 million subscribers and 343 videos to binge!
3. "Cut" (Direct)
"Cut" is a YouTube channel that films all its videos in a special studio. It showcases a variety of social experiments featuring a wide array of participants. The channel has an insane 9.5 million subscribers and a staggering 1,151 videos!
That may sound overwhelming for a new subscriber who wants to binge all the videos, but the great thing about “Cut” is the division of the channel into various episodes and series. Some of the more popular series on the channel include "Keep it 100", "Fess Up", "1000 to 1", and "Lineup".
"Keep it 100" centers around 100 people answering a question, "Fess Up" involves parents and kids taking a lie detector test together, "1000 to 1" is when seven participants vie for $1000, and "Lineup" is about one participant matching a certain quality/label to different people in a lineup.
4. “Jubilee” (Direct)
“Jubilee” has more sophisticated and meaningful content in terms of diving deep into societal thoughts. Of course, not all “Jubilee” videos are like this -- some are light-hearted too! The channel also has a special studio to film its content.
Like “Cut”, “Jubilee” is separated into branches or series, which makes it easier to find content you may be interested in. The channel has 4.6 million subscribers and 474 videos. Some of the various series include "Spectrum", "Versus 1", "Seeking Secrets", "Both Sides", and "Middle Ground".
"Spectrum" has different people walking on a designed spectrum to showcase their opinion on a subject. "Seeking Secrets" is literally discovering the secrets of someone, "Middle Ground" aims to find a common point of agreement between people with vastly different opinions, and "Both Sides" and "Versus 1" revolve around sharing stories about love and making romantic matches.
Another interesting series of videos has also released on the channel recently, and they feature a group of seven people trying to pinpoint the one person in the group who doesn’t have the same thing in common as the others. It’s vital to find the phony, because a cash prize is at stake!
Which channel would you subscribe to?