Bianca Rodriguez 

Professor Zubarava 

Writing and Rhetoric 

4 April 2022 

Video Analysis 

Kadalyst is a company based in Portland, Oregon that helps employees of other companies find ways to best use their benefits. Kadalyst also focuses on improving overall workplace wellness. In addition to the services they provide on their website, the company has posted several animated informational videos of various wellness topics to their YouTube channel. On April 7, 2020, Kadalyst posted a short video titled “Social Wellness: Overall Health” to YouTube. The video effectively utilizes its animated visuals, in accompaniment to the information given in the video, to argue the importance of maintaining social wellness. The visuals either logically support the words spoken in the video by visualizing what the narrator is talking about, or it provides organization of the information, which allows the viewer to take in the information more easily. Both uses allow the viewer to better understand the argument of the video. 

The video first presents a question to the audience: “We hear a lot about physical, emotional, and even mental wellbeing, but have you ever thought about your social wellbeing?” (0:13-0:20). This question allows the viewers to reflect on where they stand with their own social wellbeing. The video then defines social wellness: “Social wellness is a measure of how we interact with others and create meaningful relationships” (0:20-0:26). During the first half of this sentence, an animated group of people is shown to be in a public setting. Once “create meaningful relationships” is said, the scene changes to an animated mother and father interacting with their baby. At this point in the video, the audience is consistently met with bright and engaging visuals that match with what the narrator is discussing. The animation style is simple, but this simplicity is perfect for the video. Due to the length of the video, the information needs to be presented quickly. It is best that the visuals are not too flashy, so that it does not take away from the viewer’s learning. 

Going into the explanation of why social wellness is important, another example of this takes place when the narrator says: “When we have meaningful connections, we tend to eat healthier, exercise more, and are less likely to smoke” (0:35-0:41). When “eat healthier” is said, two people are shown eating salads at a restaurant. When “exercise more” is said, two people are shown to be working out at a gym. When “less likely to smoke” is shown, a “no smoking” sign is shown. These visuals are simple real-life depictions of what is being said in the moment. This allows the viewers to make a quick connection to what is being said with the given visuals. These provided outcomes of having meaningful connections are not explored in detail, but this, again, fits within the context of the fast-paced nature of the video. 

In addition to enhancing the viewer’s understanding of the words spoken in the video, the visuals also serve as a means to organize the information provided in the video. For example, the narrator lists several health conditions at one point: “People with strong social networks have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and arthritis; and are more equipped to fight off infection” (0:46-0:56). A list of these conditions can be seen in the video, popping upon each mention of each condition. The viewer can better remember and understand this sentence when it is presented both verbally and visually to them. The mention of these conditions alone is enough to make the listener feel inclined to maintain strong social wellness, so no further explanation is needed. 

Another example of this organization can be seen at the middle point of the video, when the video says: “People who have meaningful relationships experience greater happiness, whereas those who are more isolated have an increased risk for depression, anxiety, and even suicide” (0:59-1:09). The visuals are split in half, with the left side representing a person with meaningful relationships and the right side representing a person in isolation. The left half of the screen is yellow, with “happiness” listed next to a happy face. The right half of the screen is blue, with “depression,” “anxiety,” and “suicide” listed with a sad face next to each word. These listed outcomes of having (or not having) meaningful relationships are only mentioned and are not described in further detail. Again, this plays into the fast-paced nature of the video. 

At several instances throughout the video, it will switch back to a scene with an animated version of the narrator. When the previously mentioned visuals are not needed at a particular instance of the video, this is when the video will take a step back to just show the narrator. This creates a sense of connection between the viewer and the narrator. It reminds the audience that there is a real person giving them this information. This happens at timestamps 0:04-0:09, 0:46-0:56, and 1:28-1:31. 

Given that Kadalyst appeals primarily to other companies and their employees, this short video provides a simple explanation of what social wellbeing is and why one should maintain it. The clean animated style of the visuals adds to the easy-to-digest nature of the video. The visuals provide additional context to the spoken points made. A Kadalyst viewer will take in a lot of information due to the effective use of these visuals and they would want to invest in their social wellness. 

Works Cited 

“Social Wellness: Overall Health.” YouTube, uploaded by Kadalyst, 7 April 2020, 

https://youtu.be/f3dBPulbLSk.