Reddit Launches Video Series

Reddit is testing the waters for a video brand extension with "Explain Like I'm Five," a series on YouTube based on a popular subreddit on the network.

Launched Monday, the series has so far tackled the political situation in Syria, existentialism and Friedrich Nietzsche, and the volatility of the stock market. Though the subreddit, partially based on a line uttered by Denzel Washington's character in Philadelphia, was not initially meant to be taken literally, here the theory is tested in front of actual 5-year-olds

The results are amusing if not altogether successful. Actors Michael Kayne and Langan Kingsley are earnest in their mission, but some topics, like existentialism, are probably just too abstruse for the average kindergartner. The videos so far have maxed out at around 20,000 views — a small portion of Reddit's 60 million monthly visitors. However, Reddit General Manager Erik Martin says that he's gotten good feedback on ELIF and there may be new episodes to come.