Reviews

YouTube Channel Review: In a Nutshell

28 September 2015

By Lauren E. White

YouTube is one of the world’s most unique platforms for sharing. From clips of funny hamsters to hilarious versions of Peppa Pig to videos discussing science: YouTube has it all. And so does one of its channels: Kurzgesagt, or, as it is now known, In a Nutshell (the German translation of ‘kurzgesagt’).

In a Nutshell is brought to us by a Munich-based design studio with a unique and fresh perspective on animation within the fields of education and science. That is enough to put most people off watching their videos on YouTube, but it’s really not what it sounds like. The channel explains complex international relations, the ‘big’ questions and many scientific things like the immune system and Ebola in an easy and digestible way. Even my ten-year-old sister can understand most of it.

The channel was set up in 2013 and has almost one million subscribers and 14,000 followers on Twitter. Its success is moderate in comparison to the likes of Zoella with eight million subscribers – her videos include ‘Primark hauls’, self-promotion and make-up tutorials. It is a complete mystery as to why a channel of such little substance has such a large audience when In a Nutshell is out there.

Perhaps one of In a Nutshell‘s best videos is one of its latest: ‘The European Refugee Crisis and Syria Explained’. In the video, it explains the harsh reality that Europe could deal with the crisis… “if it wanted to”.

In a nutshell (sorry), YouTube has spawned some real atrocities over time. But In a Nutshell is not one of them. In fact, it is a gem in a polluted sea of MAC make-up and self-promotion, providing explanations of some of the world’s biggest issues whilst remaining a very handy tool for dummies who are suckers for international affairs.

You can directly access the channel here.

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