Folding Ideas

Folding Ideas is run by Dan Olson, a Canadian video essayist and media critic. His channel is known for extensively researched, long-form video essays that combine critical theory with detailed visual analysis of media, internet culture, and digital economies.

Dan Olson's most widely viewed works include "Line Goes Up," his feature-length critique of cryptocurrency and NFTs, and his analysis of the Flat Earth movement titled "In Search of a Flat Earth." He has also produced detailed video essays on films such as Suicide Squad, Transformers, and the Fifty Shades franchise.

Folding Ideas primarily covers film and television analysis, examining editing, narrative structure, and visual storytelling in works ranging from mainstream blockbusters to independent cinema. Olson also frequently addresses internet culture, conspiracy movements, and the political dimensions of digital media, often drawing on academic frameworks and critical theory.

Folding Ideas essays typically run between 20 minutes and over two hours, with several of his most ambitious projects exceeding 90 minutes in length. The extended format distinguishes his work from shorter-form YouTube criticism and allows for thorough argumentation with extensive supporting evidence and visual demonstrations.