The 2:00 AM YouTube Test
what do you really want?
There’s a certain serenity that comes with the late night hours.
We live in a world that glorifies the early risers, but the wee hours don’t often get the credit they deserve.
Sure, it’s definitely noble to wake up at the crack of dawn.
It’s rife with go-getter energy, dripped in focus and discipline. It’s the bedrock of many an empire and many an online grift as well.
However, there’s something (both literally and figuratively) militant about consistently rising early.
It conjures up images up images of workouts, of conquering the mundane tasks on the day’s to-do list, and whatever else you can imagine in the stereotypical “Day in the Life” reels we scroll through everyday.
What it lacks, however, is a certain character.
If early rising is a clean-cut, crossed t’s and dotted i’s responsible salaryman, the hours between midnight and 3AM are it’s shaggy haired, free spirited younger brother.
There’s a certain element to staying up past when 98% of your time zone is tucked into bed that simply cannot be recreated at any other time of the 24 hour day.
An eerie calmness where the pressures and priorities of tomorrow, though mere hours away, seem in the distant future. There’s also the aspect that solitude and tiredness that can affect our thoughts and ideas at this time.
While the early mornings are time for revving the engine of the mind with caffeination, the late hours are the slow, grinding halt of our daily routine.
It’s an interesting juxtaposition between the body shutting down while the mind- fading in it’s own right- is still sharp enough to contemplate and ruminate during the peak hours for such activities.
Your inhibitions are lowered, and as we all know when that happens, our true desires are not far behind.
Pushing your day into the late hours removes a large part of the “masks” each and every one of us wear everyday, albeit to different extents.
I often wonder if people avoid staying up and experiencing this intentionally, using the culturally acceptable and unassailable “virtue” of hitting the hay early as a cover.
I see this largely as a mistake.
Should you be pushing into the wee hours every night?
No, that’s largely irresponsible- but a trip there once a week or so can be awfully helpful to the psyche and a much-needed look into the mirror of the soul.
^ There’s also the creative aspect of being a night owl, which was put so perfectly by Selena from soul surgery that I had no choice but to screencap it and give credit instead of a futile attempt of wording this any better.
What Do Most People Do at 2:00 AM?
In this ever-increasing digital landscape, it’s safe to say 99% of people awake at these hours are in front of some sort of screen.
What’s interesting is that during this period of increased introspection and waning focus, I find almost everyone I know turns to YouTube.
(If you’re turning to “something else”, it’s both A: really not the healthiest activity and B. probably a sign you’re lonely and should go out into the real world more)
Anyway, you might miss an intricate detail in a side plot in whatever crazy Hulu show you’re watching at 1:45 in the morning, but you’re not too mentally burnt to watch an 8 minute video about teaching your dog to roll over or how to reorganize your out of season clothing.
That little voice in your head that says “do I really want to watch this" tends to succumb to the ethereal exhaustion we experience late into the night.
Here’s the kicker: what if I told you this was actually an incredible litmus test for what you actually enjoy and want to pursue in this life?
Observe the Queue!!
My fraternity house had a Chromecast on the living room TV, and the late-night YouTube marathons became a habit.
Everyone got to add a video to the queue, and God save you if you skipped someone’s video or went out of order.
The Queue was sacred.
It was mostly an amalgamation of what you think a bunch of 20 year old fraternity guys would be watching: drone strike compilations, Zlatan Ibrahimovic best goals comps, Japanese Bug Fights (gross, but highly entertaining. You actually used to be able to bet on them, too).
However, there were definitely some more “out there” choices as well, and as we filled up the queue, we learned more about one another and had those classic “hopes and dreams” type conversations as as a result.
It was always fascinating to see who put on what, and the reasoning behind it- varying levels of inebriation notwithstanding.
This late night YouTube sesh habit became ingrained in my lifestyle, and was something I carried into adulthood.
It’s something I do at my place often, and I’ve watched friends and romantic interests alike take to the queue and throw on some pretty obscure things, only to light up with a glimmering passion that had been hiding beneath the surface for a long time.
Funnily enough, it always tied back into what they ended up doing further along down the trail of life.
Small Aircraft, Crochet Knits, and Heel Hooks
The “socially acceptable” hours of the day lend themselves to more expected behavior.
Ask a friend of yours to throw a YouTube video on the TV at 3PM and you’ll probably get something more normified, like Monday Night Football highlights or some ridiculous prank video, or the umpteenth Donald Trump impersonator.
As I mentioned before, the late hours (and sometimes some accompanied mind-altering substances) lead you down a different path.
I’ll never forget a friend of mine going on and on about a specific propeller plane he was fascinated by.
He played a video for me, and while yes, we love a good planespotting session, this teetered on obsessive. He knew every in and out of the aircraft, and admitted to spending hours upon hours on Flight Simulator in the cockpit of this exact plane.
By video #4 I had to kindly suggest that maybe we could watch something else.
Well, guess what his hobby is these days?
Where he funnels his disposable income to?
You got it- ripping that small little plane up and down the East Coast, smiling ear to ear in every aviators and headphones adorned selfie.
I had a fling with a girl earlier this year (I really try to avoid writing about romantic encounters in here but whatever), and we found ourselves in the same position: ~ 2:00 AM in the morning, hanging on the couch in front of the TV.
I suggested we watch a little YouTube, and she agreed.
I took the remote and had to laugh at the search history: “crochet for beginners”, “crochet patchwork”, “crochet flowers”…but I wasn’t going to give her a hard time and ask her if she was spiritually 85 years old.
Instead, I asked “why”, and she lit up.
She started rambling on about different types of projects she wanted to do, how she wanted to create clothing, how crocheting is soothing and brings her peace.
The expected quasi-embarrassment of a unique interest was lost in the raw, uninhibited expression of the late hours, and it was honestly cool to see.
I saw on Instagram lately she’s looking to launch an Etsy shop to sell her creations- I hope it comes off for her. She posts more about that than the impressive professional career she’s pursuing.
MMA and jiu-jitsu training were a big part of my late teens and early 20’s, and some of my fondest memories.
I remember hanging with a friend of mine after we got home from a night out, and he started asking me all about it.
While it may have been pure speculation and information gathering, the guise of questioning soon became easy to see through, and it became apparent that he had been secretly harboring an intense desire to get out on the mats and in the ring himself.
He put on real in-depth content: Marcelo Garcia, 10th Planet BJJ videos.
He knew his stuff.
Naturally, I asked why he knew all about training and never said anything, and no sooner did I inquire then he immediately began to spill his guts- how he’s afraid of what his conservative parents will think, fears about being the new guy in the gym, things of that nature.
I lightened the mood with an all-time fave, leglocks from the Japanese fighter Imanari:
We shared a few laughs over it, and then I implored him to just sign up and train.
That’s the beauty of the 2AM YouTube test- seeing people’s real interests and passions come out without the laborious and performative act of trying to come off as normal (whatever that means).
It’s an antidote to the “Comment Section Culture” that has become so pervasive in our world.
Back to my MMA dreams friend- we’ve fallen out of touch, but about two years ago I saw on IG he won a grappling tournament…winning the final via a leg lock.
What Are You Queueing Up?
Ah, the point of the whole article.
It’s a fun question to ask yourself- in those moments of blissful solitude, what piques your interest?
I have friends whose interests run the gamut, from stuff I totally “get”, and others I can hardly make sense of.
Everything from marathon training to Magic the Gathering cards to audiophile content to indie documentaries of third world countries.
It isn’t about whether your interests are perceived as “cool” or acceptable at the water cooler at the office- it’s about what makes you tick and what’s hidden deep inside. Allowing this part of you to be unleashed and flourish will undoubtedly seep into other realms of your life, in a positive way.
It’ll always be my upmost belief in this life that authenticity rules the roost.
The YouTube test is a great way to unearth what has been hidden in your heart and mind, and pursuing a passion makes this increasingly hectic and chaotic world all the more enjoyable and tolerable as a result…plus, who knows?
You might just make some money off of whatever makes you tick.
Dashcams Galore
Alright, it’s only fair if I close this out with my own 2:00AM viewing habits.
First, I’d like to quickly interject with a video from none other than Andrew Tate that I make everyone that comes over my place watch. (Also, relax. This isn’t an endorsement of everything the man has ever said, or a political stance blah blah blah. I just find the comedic timing and absurdity of it absolutely hilarious):
Anyhow, right…dashcams.
I really like dashcam compilations.
“Like, watching cars crash into each other? Are you good?”
It’s not so cut and dried.
See, I’m fascinated not only by the constant intrigue of different scenarios and locales, but also how the people in the videos interact.
How do people handle conflict in different parts of the country?
Who seems to be more openly hostile after the accident?
What are people driving, and what are they wearing?
What’s the language they use and the vibe of the area they’re in?
It’s a microcosm of social analysis, playing out in real time on the roadways we all traverse each and every day.
Maybe I should start a blog about the changes in modern American culture and psychological frameworks for surviving and thriving in it.
Idk, maybe I’ll look into it at some point.
Talk again soon, go wait until the moon’s been out awhile and watch some YouTube :)
<3
John Abbate
2.10.2024