Video logging, better known among internet users as ‘Vlogging’, has established itself a position of steady popularity on video-sharing platforms. With YouTube’s low entry barrier, it has been a global trend for people to film, edit and post their outcomes online, regardless of their age group and occupation. Anyone can get involved in vlogging if they just have a camera and basic editing software, which can both be covered with a mobile phone. Vlog content ranges from travel, work, cooking to even daily routines. Appenzeller International House adopted this fad into an online House program: ‘10x10 Vlog’, through which Zellers could share how they were faring with social distancing.

[Photo 1] A collage of Appenzeller students’ final vlogs

        A total of 13 Zellers recorded how they spent every hour of Monday, April 13th from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. These 10-second video clips amounted to a total of 100 seconds; hence the program name: ‘10x10’. Zellers were required to show their faces for at least 1-2 of these clips. Snippets of their routine were shared on the participant group chat throughout the day, where Zellers could comment on each other’s schedules, before being compiled and edited into personal vlogs by Residential Assistant Jiyong, who was in charge of the program—the reason this program only accepted a limited number of Zellers. The final vlogs were of exceptional quality; complete with voice over narrations, subtitles and neat transitions.

[Photo 2] A collage of Appenzeller students’ final vlogs

        One may reckon, how interesting could people’s lives be with social distancing? Wouldn’t every Yonsei student be spending indistinguishable, boring and repetitive hours of sleep, eat and Zoom? Outcomes of 10x10 Vlog told us otherwise. Despite the inevitable indoor environment, Zellers showed great diversity based on their major, location and personal tastes. Each vlog differed in various areas such as study topics, dietary habits, revision methods, hobbies, and so forth.

        Recording a full day in video format was certainly a fresh experience for many Zellers—yet not all of them. An interesting discovery was that some Zellers already had YouTube channels and were used to vlogging. Still, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that 10x10 Vlog acted as a unique medium of communication for Appenzeller International House. Zellers could share their lives with their peers and learn how others were managing their time indoors. This helped students to bond with one another and created a sense of community during the stringent period of social distancing.

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