Meditations on YouTubeElizabeth Buie and Mark Blythe@ebuie @markblythe

Northumbria UniversityDepartment of Media and Communication Design

Background Martin Seligman’s PERMA theory of well-being

» Pleasure: Positive emotion and Engagement» Beyond pleasure: Meaning making» (also Relationships and Achievement; not in study)

Meditation closelyaligned with P, E & M

Study aims Identify themes in

viewer comments onYouTube meditationvideos

Explore viewers’thoughts and feelingsabout how these videosaffect their meditationexperience

YouTube: A rich resource

4.3 million returns for “meditation”(3 May 2013)

66 returns for “youtube comments”(2 September 2013)

The corpus: 89 videos Searched for

“meditation”

Took 100with highestview counts

Retained 89in final corpus

Recordedvideo metadata

18.2 million

14.9 million

Most-viewed videos

View count and liking

32% more likes

251%moredislikes

70.4

13.9

36.8

Likes per dislike

Likes per Dislike: Low & High Lowest: Fall Asleep Fast!

10 Hours of White Noise.Increase focus, soothe ababy, meditate…(Likes per Dislike: 8.1)

Highest: Tibetan SingingBowl Meditation(Likes per Dislike: 70.4)

Corpus:» Range: 8.1-70.4» Median: 23.2» Aggregated: 21.9

Other popular topics

Entire corpus: 21.9 likes for every dislike

How do other popular topics compare?

Categories of MeaningNew Age (15) Secular (52)Religious (20)

Religious meditation videos

Sikh: Chill Out RelaxMusic - WonderfulMeditation Mantra -Guru Guru WaheGuru(Likes per Dislike: 12.0)

Hindu: Ganesh Mantra -Obstacle Breaker(STROBE)(Likes per Dislike: N/A)

New Age meditation videos

Chakra Balancing Meditationmusic Very Intense NOADVERT(Likes per Dislike: 22.3)

Chakra Meditation Balancing& Healing(Likes per Dislike: 27.3)

Secular meditation videos

SLEEP Music: CALM : RELAX:TIME OUT: MEDITATE -dolphin sounds and waves -Musica para Bebes(Likes per Dislike: 18.9)

Japanese Garden Meditation(Likes per Dislike: 47.1)

Auditory and visual attributes Auditory

» Sources of sounds» Melodic or not

Visual» Sources of visuals» Type and presence of motion

The corpus: 1354 comments

“It's amazing that there are so many wonderful commentshere, instead of YouTube wars. (: The love is spreading.”

Theme 1: The video or creator Impressions

WHOOOAAA ! ! ! THAT WAS INSANELY AWESOME ! ! !

This is beautiful ♥

Boring!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow that was powerful!

Theme 1: The video or creator Impressions

Thanks/blessings

thank you for sharing ! Namaste

Thank you, may you rest in heaven.

I find it really awesome that you're putting thewhole 60mn CD in free download, I think it'sreally generous and I wanted to just thank you :)

Theme 1: The video or creator Impressions Thanks/blessings

Specific features

Your voice carries a beautiful tone and your wordsare inspired. I especially enjoyed what you saidwhile visualizing the heart chakra, "Lovingourselves in the foundation of good health andhappiness."

i cant sleep with thisknowing it isnt actual rain :@

Theme 1: The video or creator Impressions Thanks/blessings Specific features

Question

why am i crying?

Is this for a particular religion?

Is there an ideal time of day to mediate?

Where i can download it?

Theme 1: The video or creator Impressions Thanks/blessings Specific features Question

Humour

hahaha i accidentally typed in YouTube.omand it sent me to this o.O hahahaha

Makes me wanna poop slowly and peacefully...

OM SWEET OM

Theme 2: Subjective experience Relaxation/sleep

not exactly relaxing, it's too fast. Rubbish

Perfect for those who suffer from a cluttered anddisorganized mind. This helped calm my thoughtsand drift of into a blissful sleep. Thank you!

I use this when I just need to relax after afrustrating day.

Theme 2: Subjective experience Relaxation/sleep

Health/well-being

This helped me a lot when i washeavily depressed, it still does.

it's helpful for severe, chronic pain.

What a peaceful state. I’m very blissful.

Listening to that GAVE me a headache. Ow.

Theme 2: Subjective experience Relaxation/sleep Health/well-being

Physical effects and sensations

This made me have to pee!!

Great.....my body responded the viberations. Headstarted moving....I enjoyed the state of my being.

my body was going numb and I felt the top of myhead tingling (the crown chakra spinning)

Theme 2: Subjective experience Relaxation/sleep Health/well-being Physical effects and sensations

Focus/activities

I put on my headphones and listen on repeat atwork... And work feels so nice...

Perfect music to draw and paint to :D

i study with this music onI BETTER GET AN A+

Theme 2: Subjective experience Relaxation/sleep Health/well-being Physical effects and sensations Focus/activities

Being “elsewhere”

There is something so mystic about thecombination of tones & throat singingthat transports me to another world,(a place I remember & love to be)

Theme 2: Subjective experience Relaxation/sleep Health/well-being Physical effects and sensations Focus/activities Being “elsewhere”

Drugs/alcohol/herbs

like a very bad trip

Awesome video to relax with a glass of red wineor sensestamps!

Theme 2: Subjective experience Relaxation/sleep Health/well-being Physical effects and sensations Focus/activities Being “elsewhere” Drugs/alcohol/herbs

Anger/fear

I'd rather die than listen to that for an hour

i feel like theres someone watching me holy shit

Theme 3: Response to Others Advice, explanation and support

waheguru is what sikhs call god

what you are feeling spiritually are causingthese goosebumps on your physical self

look deep, you are god

Theme 3: Response to others Advice, explanation and support

Reflection

XD Arguing? Seriously?You guys have a funny way of meditating!

anyone else read the comments that ruined the song?

It's amazing that there are so many wonderful commentshere, instead of YouTube wars. (: The love is spreading.

Smaller groups of comments angels, demons, Satan

and aliens animals contact requests crying and sadness dreams and visions favorites greetings hopes and desires insults

meditation memories permission and copyright quotations religion spam technical wanting more of video world peace “unclear”

Top comments

YouTube context: Adverts

“There's nothing like starting theroad to mindfulness, than with a f***ing commericial.”

“Ah yes, the You Tube adscutting in on the bliss.”

YouTube context: Comments

Enhanced: Advice, explanations, support

I had the same problem … but I tried to learnsome meditation, it really helped so much!

Who would have thought that I would be in your same shoes …Tears fill my eyes from knowing your father was at peace with it.

Detracted: Insults, diatribes, religious arguments

*scrolls down at comments**scrolls back away from comments*

Please disable the comments :( The religious debateskill the mood, I fear...

Meditation Videos and PERMA

Positive emotion

Engagement

Relationships

Meaning making

Achievement

Summary YouTube is being used for videos intended to

support meditation» 7.1 million returns for “meditation” (3 September 2013)

» Religious, new age and secular content» Diversity of sound and visual attributes

Viewers liked the videos» 70% of comments were positive» Five most viewed had more likes per dislike than did

five most viewed on puppies, kittens, babies

YouTube framing can enhance or seriously detractfrom the meditation experience

Future activities Focus on specific videos

» Analyse full set of comments» Compare comments for different types of videos

Refine “likes per dislike” concept

Explore the subjective experience!

Thank you!Elizabeth Buie and Mark Blythe@ebuie       @markblythe

Northumbria UniversityDepartment of Media and Communication Design

Contact: elizabeth.buie@northumbria.ac.uk

Buddha statue photographby Daniela Hartmann

Used by permissionunder Creative Commons

Laptop photographby Elizabeth Buie

Video image on laptop from“Buddhist Chant - Shingon”