Recently an influx of aesthetically pleasing videos have surfaced on social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. Such videos are typically of mixing oil paints or slicing, crushing and stretching molded kinetic sand in a plethora of colors.

Accounts that post these videos describe them as “oddly satisfying” or “calming.”  One Instagram account that specializes in posting videos of kinetic sand has even coined the term “sandisfying.”

The jury is still out as to whether or not these videos actually have a calming effect on viewers, although junior Kori Beckman fully supports such claims.

“They really relieve a lot of stress and honestly just make me happy,” Beckman said. “I could watch those videos for hours on end.”

Satisfying sand videos oftentimes feature a molded piece of brightly-colored kinetic sand. Sand is then either crushed, stretched or in many cases, cut into pieces. Since kinetic sand has different properties than run-of-the mill sand, the slices stay packed together and a distinct, crisp, crunching noise is made when the sand is cut.

“The thing I find most satisfying about the sand videos is the sound the utensils make when cutting or poking the sand,” Beckman said. “Or maybe just the sand itself. It’s so nice to look at when it’s cut so evenly and the slices are perfect.”

Although Beckman enjoys the sand videos a great deal, she tends to favor the paint mixing videos.

In the case of the paint videos, a few splotches of colorful oil paint are dispensed onto a palette or another flat surface. Then, the individual recording the video mixes the paints together with any multitude of spatulas or fork-like objects.

“The paint mixing videos are a whole other story,” Beckman said. “They are my favorite. If I like the paint colors being mixed, then I will like the video—the colors are what make it so satisfying. Also, the sound of the paint mixer hitting against the counter is really nice and adds to the overall appeal.”

Despite the fact that the videos are advertised and perceived as calming or stress relieving, other students do not feel as though they reap such benefits from viewing them. Some even find them bothersome.

“I hate them,” junior Ashton Balthazor said. “The videos are cringe-worthy, annoying and clog up my Instagram feed. I can’t look at memes.”

18lgregory@usd489.com