No, how about an essay is an essay, no matter if you film yourself reading it or not. The content of the message is what is important, not the medium it's presented in.
As true as that is, video essays may reach a wider audience due to their visual component that can keep people interested. Most people would rather watch a video than read an essay or listen to one.
Most people who make video essay videos include relevant footage, graphs/charts and diagrams, not just them sitting there and reading.
Was gonna say, a video essay is almost an entirely distinct form of media from a written essay. And to conflate the two really disregards and diminishes a lot of the creative process that goes behind both.
A good written essay might make a terrible video essay, and vice versa.