| Technology Connections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| YouTube information | |
| Created by | Alec Watson |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Subscribers | 2.69 million (February 2025) |
| Views | 351 million[1] |
| Contents are in | English |
Last updated: February 23, 2025; 42 days ago (February 23, 2025) | |
Technology Connections is an AmericanYouTube channel covering the history and mechanics ofconsumer electronics,home appliances, and other pieces of technology, created byAlec Watson of Chicago, Illinois. Subjects of focus includetransportation,[2]HVAC,refrigeration,photography, andhome audio andvideo, among others. The channel, which has received praise for Watson's humor and the depth and insight of his research, has amassed a large following on YouTube.[3][4]
Watson registered the Technology Connections channel onYouTube in November 2014,[5] with his first video, exploringAlexander Graham Bell's role in the history ofsound reproduction, uploaded in September 2015.[6] In the years since, Watson has released videos on Technology Connections covering other aspects ofconsumer audiovisual technology—home audio andvideo in particular—releasing a five-part documentary miniseries on theCompact Disc audio format bySony andPhilips in 2018; and theCapacitance Electronic Disc home video format byRCA between 2019 and 2020.[7] As well as these subjects, Watson has also explored the mechanics and history of varioustelephony products, aspects oftelevision broadcasting,videocassette recorders,home appliances,electrical wiring, and more. Watson often interjects his explanations with humorous and satirical asides, as well as critiques of some of the technologies he discusses.[8]
In February 2020, Watson's Technology Connections channel was briefly and erroneously demonetized for supposed violations of YouTube'sPartner Program policies. The monetization was restored after the demonetization caused an uproar on social media.Reclaim the Net attributed it to a fault in Google's internalartificial intelligence.[9]
In March 2024, Watson collaborated withGavin Free ofThe Slow Mo Guys to film an episode of Technology Connections detailing the mechanics ofKodak andSylvania's jointly developedMagicube, a multiple-use, disposable consumerflash bulb. Watson employed Free'sPhantomhigh-speed camera to capture and study detailed close-ups of the Magicube igniting its explosive contents to create the flash. Because of the way the Phantom camera works, Free was forced to film several shots at an extreme aspect ratio to capture images at 200,000 frames per second.[10][11]
Technology Connections has received praise from various publications for the depth and insight of Watson's research, as well as the wittiness of his scripts and breadth of his subject matter.[8][12]Mark Frauenfelder, the co-owner ofBoing Boing, called Watson's channel "a fantastic resource for learning about the inner workings of everyday items ... break[ing] down complex concepts into easy-to-understand explanations, providing viewers with a greater appreciation for the technology that surrounds them".[3]Lifehacker's Michelle Ehrhardt wrote that Watson's "documentary style approach is comprehensive yet approachable, and while topics often have some bearing on what you have in your house right now, the channel has also doneLGR Oddware-style breakdowns on odd trends or gadgets that aren't really around anymore".[12] Ehrhardt called Watson "a sort of guru for home appliances", "explain[ing] the history and methodology behind common devices like air conditioners, dishwashers, and power outlets in a genuinely fun way that might also teach you a few tricks and tips that will make your life better".[12] Adam Juniper, writing inDigital Camera World, called Watson and Free's video on the Magicube "a brilliant job of placing the different single-use flash technologies in context—historically and economically—showing how they work and then going above and beyond in explaining exactlyhow they work".[11] Watson's video on the automaticSunbeam Radianttoaster went viral in 2019, with Sean Hollister ofThe Verge praising it as "[possibly] the smartest thing you watch today".[13] Hollister similarly praised Watson's video detailing the mechanics of thepopcorn button present on most consumer microwaves.[14]
The channel has also received praise from academics. The media studies scholar Marek Jancovic called Watson's video on the famousringer of theWestern Electric Model 500 telephone—in which Watson deduces that modern feature films still use a sample of the ring derived from asound effectLP record pressed off-center and severely warped—an example of what Jancovic calls "mediaepigraphy". Jancovic wrote that Watson's findings represent "impressive deductions [w]orthy of a detective novel".[15] Dan MacIsaac, a professor of physics atSUNY Buffalo State, has praised Watson's explainers on home wiring, calling some of the concepts discussed illuminating, particularly on the details of plug design, electrical outlet orientation,North American home wiring, and the dangers of certainextension cords. MacIsaac recommended some Technology Connections videos as supplementary material for his introductionelectromagnetism course.[8]
In 2023, Watson published a video on the lack of use ofbrake lights in some electric vehicles duringregenerative braking. He demonstrated that his 2022Hyundai Ioniq 5 could decelerate sharply to a complete stop without actuating the brake lights. The video went viral, amassing over two million views in a week, prompting a detailed report of these flaws inConsumer Reports, which in turn prompted a response fromHyundai Motor Group promising to address the issue.[16]
Watson is a resident of theChicago metropolitan area[8] and originally graduated inhotel management.[17] He is an enthusiast of electric cars, a topic covered repeatedly on his channel, with his first electric vehicle being aChevrolet Volt purchased in 2015 to commute to his first day job. In 2022, he upgraded to a Hyundai Ioniq 5.[4]