Are you having a hard time studying at home during this Covid-19 pandemic? Have you tried everything that you could to concentrate and be productive that even listening to music doesn’t help anymore?
There are many ways to stay concentrated and motivated while studying alone. One of the least heard of ways is by putting a ‘gongbang’ video on play when you study.
What is ‘gongbang’?
Originating from South Korea, ‘gongbang’ literally translates to ‘study broadcast’.
It sees students filming themselves studying and livestreaming it. Some ‘gongbang’ are prerecorded with soothing music inserted in the background.
It is not sure when or who started the trend. ‘Gongbang’ started to make headlines sometime in 2018 with more and more people livestreaming videos of themselves studying on YouTube.
Those who filmed these videos claimed that it helps them to stay concentrated because the camera is rolling and there are people watching them.
Imagine having your teacher or parents watching over you to make sure you study… now replace those eyes with unknown strangers online.
How does watching gongbang videos or people study on YouTube help you in your own studies?
A Korean silent vlogger Suzlnne who is known for her gongbang revealed in a video how to use her ‘study-with-me’ clips.
First of all, you need to choose a video length depending on how long you are planning to study.
So let’s say that you are planning to study for half an hour, then pick a video with about the same length.
The first rule is that you have to concentrate the whole length of the video. Another rule is no phones allowed (unless you are watching the video using your phone, put it aside).
There are different kinds of ‘gongbang’ to choose from on YouTube.
Do you want one with background music or without one? How about the sound of a pen or pencil scribbling? Or one with the sounds of rain in the background.
If you are watching the live stream version of ‘gongbang’, then you and the broadcasters are studying at the same time even though you might be thousand of miles apart. Those who have competitive streak in them might feel challenged watching somebody else studying hard somewhere else in the world.
Consider these ‘gongbang’ vloggers as your study buddy who do not know of your existence. Stay focused in your studies while they concentrate in theirs.
Who are the trendy broadcasters these days?
Speaking of Suzlnne, her YouTube channel has around 497,000 subscribers.
Most of her videos are silent vlogs of her life as a college student in South Korea. As for her ‘gongbang’ videos, she has categorised them into different playlists such as with music, at the library (which has the background sound of a library), at a cafe (which has the background sound of a cafe) and the sound of her pencil writing notes.
Another YouTube channel with the username Hyobee live-streamed her studying up to six hours at a time. Her broadcast hour usually takes place between 9pm to 2am. Honestly, she really needs all that studying because she is actually a medical student.
Nowadays, the trend ‘Gongbang’ is also being caught up by non-Koreans. Instead of ‘gongbang’, they call it Study with Me videos.
A law student from University of Cordoba, Spain started her YouTube channel Estudiar Derecho last Apr 29, 2020.
Since then, she has already gathered 60,000 subscribers. All her videos are just views of her desk while she studies without showing her face.
Don’t find watching ‘gongbang’ motivating enough? How about filming yourself studying instead? Who knows, you might earn thousands of subscribers on YouTube just by studying.
