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Breaking Down Barriers to Science and Physics Communication in China - Do Veritasium YouTube Videos Translate?

ORAL

Abstract

Educational content on YouTube has seen incredible growth and gotten significant traction. Physics-focused YouTube channels are no exception. From the earliest days of education on YouTube, Veritasium [1,2], an educational physics YouTube channel now with over 6 million subscribers and 650+ million views, has educated and engaged the general public about physics.

However, due to political barriers, Veritasium and other YouTube channels are blocked in China. This energy barrier, although significant, is not insurmountable. Veritasium has recently become one of the first YouTube channels to fully overcome the language, cultural, and political barriers and step into China. With close to 50 thousand subscribers and 2 million views on a Chinese platform, Veritasium has demonstrated that accessible physics education content can also go viral in China. This realization leads to an opportunity for anyone interested in making an impact in physics education to do so anytime anywhere with simple code and existing content.

[1] YouTube channel: youtube.com/veritasium
[2] Website: veritasium.com

Presenters

  • Hanyu Zhang

    Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University

Authors

  • Hanyu Zhang

    Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University

  • Derek Muller

    Veritasium