RESULTS:
The success of a YouTube channel is defined by the scope of content, the number of subscribers, and the view numbers generated (Huang and Grant 2020). Since its inception in 2014, BraveWilderness has grown to >18.5M million subscribers, with 63.79M average monthly views for 2020-2021 (YouTube 2021b). Viewers aged between 13 and 34 make up 63.4% of total views. The top ten viewing countries are on five different continents. A total of 662 unique video uploads have amassed the total view count exceeding 4 billion in May 2021. Other social media platforms are used to highlight BraveWilderness content, share behind the scenes imagery, and promote future videos. Although unclear, the net effect is likely small in terms of crossover, however, a successful digital influencer can reach large audiences from a variety of platforms (e.g., Twitter, Instagram, TikTok).
YouTube requires a highly compressed format for video in order to decrease server storage space and increase upload speeds. This is mandated since many users’ access content via mobile Wi-Fi connections. These constraints have dictated reduced technical specifications compared to broadcast standards, and thus gave non-media professionals the early edge in this digital space. This was conducive to the field-centric model of BraveWilderness, which was able to acquire content from diverse and remote areas which are less easily accessed by larger production crews. These constraints work in favor of the general scientific community as they allow anyone to create meaningful content which can be distributed on a global level.
When BraveWilderness was started a 7-minute runtime on YouTube was ideal, however as overall platform watch times grew and mid roll-ads were introduced, over 10-minute duration quickly became the new standard. Currently BraveWilderness aims for a 10 to 12-minute runtime meeting the demand of metrics believed to be important for success on YouTube: overall watch time, click through rate, and viewer retention.
BraveWilderness has been active for seven years with new video content released every week. Metrics provided by YouTube reveal engagement over time, where videos can be viewed by both subscribed (green) and non-subscribed (blue) individuals (Figure 1). Subscribers are linked directly to new content, whereas unsubscribed viewers link to specific content. For most of its history, BraveWilderness has attracted a larger number of unsubscribed than subscribed viewers, and it is the unsubscribed viewers that drive the peak metrics.
Examining the metrics further, the number of views for individual videos can be determined by peaks (Figure 2) which represent the viral spikes when these videos were first released, with view number increasing over time for popular uploads (Table 1). The largest peaks often represent an insect sting/bite which have driven viral views by a broad audience. There are points which were conservation themed content (F-K Figure 2) which also increased over time (Table 1).
Morphological and behavioral characteristics of a given creature are highlighted in videos to enhance the story, providing additional learning opportunities (Figure 3, 4). The majority of the factual presentation is done in the presence of the featured species. A diverse range of flora and fauna have been featured including single cell microbes, cacti, insects, sharks, and large mammals. Wildlife has been featured from diverse habitats, primarily the deserts, rainforests, and undersea habitats of North and South America, and has also included multiple adventures in Asia, Africa and Australia.
Many videos feature an exciting exploration and discovery section, which helps to enhance the story while showing a creature’s natural habitat. However, even when a video topic is highlighting a ‘dangerous’ feature of a given organism, the story always shows how the species is important in its environment and demanding of respect (Table 1). These points are communicated within the video content. The amount of bravado needed on the part of the hosts remains ambiguous; animals were never harmed and were always returned to the wild after filming.