For this post, I’ll be exhibiting three animations on YouTube. All of these animations link to Social Media addiction in some form. Each has something I have incorporated into my animation, and has similar styles.
I don’t think we can do this anymore
Firstly, this animation’s style is very sketchy. Some may not enjoy this style because it’s not perfect, but it allows for more creativity within the animation. This is the style I am going for in my animation; it’s more humble and connects better with the audience. Also, with new drawing and animation skills, it’ll cut my work down. As you watch, you’ll notice the character wiggling; this is called “squigglevision” and is used to make the scenes look more fluid and dynamic. It also helps bring more attention to the character. I will implement this for my animation to bring my character out from the background. Animators achieve squigglevision by re-drawing the character imperfectly for each panel.
Secondly, the animator uses scenes outside the characters’ room to show nighttime (at the beginning) and daytime(at the end), displaying time. For my animation, I use a window to show nighttime and daytime. These outside shots create fantastic world-building, making the story feel more real to the viewer.
The composition of each scene is unusual and dynamic, and the colours are bright and vibrant. These are aspects that make this animation intriguing. However, I won’t use these aspects as drawing from different angles is difficult, and my animation uses neutral colours.
Finally, the music is soft and light, with ambient sounds for the outside scenes. The animator added more chaotic sounds from the phone when the character’s dread overcomes them. This is a great way to convey emotion. The conflicting audio creates a juxtaposition of the character’s mind with social media and then when she focuses on life outside. This is something I will take into account in my animation.
Influenced
This animation’s style is similar to the last one shown. Again, the animator uses the squigglevision technique, which brings the animation to life. The colours are vibrant, and each scene has an interesting composition.
Firstly, time is represented by the window, an idea I have taken inspiration from and included in my animation. At first, I wanted the phone in my animation to show Instagram, but after viewing this animation, designing the social media platform to look similar to TikTok would be much easier for (me) the animator and for the audience to understand, because it’s much simpler in design.
Finally, the animator uses pop-up texts around the character to show what the character is reading. This is a much more interesting way of showcasing the social media platform’s comments than just showing them on the phone. I didn’t plan to show comments this way, but I will incorporate them into my animation.
Overcomer
Slightly similar to the last two animations, this animator uses a sketchy style in their characters. However, the animation’s backgrounds and other aspects are much more detailed and use a different art style. The colours are dull and neutral, which is an aspect I have taken into my animation as it makes it feel more real and emotional.
Firstly, the animation begins with a simple middle composition, which I have taken inspiration from. This makes the focus clear to the viewer.
Secondly, another feature I was inspired by was the faded thoughts around the character, showing their thoughts and emotions. This is a great way to convey what the character is feeling, and I will use it in my animation.
Finally, the music used is very soft and sombre in the beginning but becomes uplifting by the end, showing the resolution of their social media addiction. I will take this aspect into my animation as well.
References
TAEETIME (2023) I don’t think we can overcome this [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QmuhAvJuLE&ab_channel=TAEETIMEE [01/05/2025].
soph (2024) influenced [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ken0127nEE&t=1s&ab_channel=soph [01/05/2025].
Hannah Grace (2016) Overcomer [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ui161NyTg&ab_channel=HannahGrace [01/05/2025].