YouTube is the melting pot of culture and a gateway to it. YouTube levels the playing field with media, because it’s a free service with not many limitations, and everyone is given the same opportunities. I can watch that comedian that I can’t afford to see otherwise or listen to that new Sol album that just got released. I can even see what life is like in Paris or watch a dog look like it’s speaking English. YouTube is my entertainment.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeKSiCQkPw[/youtube]
It’s a way for me to catch a good laugh before I have to write that English paper or a way for me to practice my singing along with the track. YouTube in this regard is a vehicle of expression. It fosters the idea of expressing yourself and showcasing your talents whatever they may be to an audience you wouldn’t have had otherwise. It’s a way for you to get feedback on your work, and a way for you to build confidence in your abilities and grow them. I love listening to new music particularly when it’s not mainstream. I love listening to people’s own music and poetry not always the overproduced stuff on the radio.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5cT5A4zOaI[/youtube]
YouTube has been an amazing resource for finding talented people I would not know about else. I can listen to Soca and Chutney music from the Caribbean or listen to Joe Dassin from France. YouTube fosters collaboration and becomes a way for someone to share in similar interests and similar goals. No other thing is quite like YouTube because of its size and how accessible it is to everyone. If enough people subscribe to your channel or give you great feedback of your work, it is a great way to even launch a career.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3aXTYUz_2E[/youtube]
YouTube has been a gateway to new experiences and to old ones — a way for me to both learn and reminisce. When I was applying to college, I couldn’t visit every school, but YouTube allowed me to get a glimpse of what my college experience at a particular place would be like. I do my French Homework using YouTube, and I’ve learned how to make ice cream. YouTube allows me to reminisce as well. I get to relive watching my boyfriend’s band play, my ex-boyfriend try to act, and I get to watch those childhood cartoons that I grew up watching like “Rugrats” and “All That!.” We can sometimes lose track of how valuable our resources are, but without YouTube, we would have to track down some VHS and cassette copies of all the things that made the 90s great, and that would be annoying!
YouTube, most importantly however, gives everyone the opportunity to have a voice and share it. YouTube allows people to share their opinions and beliefs with the world. Put a video up, and your opinions will matter to someone. YouTube makes you heard.
YouTube has been a big part of my life, and I couldn’t imagine not having it around!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoNJky7ease3jyR1KcDmJtCuoTkd9Xsjf[/youtube]
Never really thought of YouTube as a global forum before — guess that shows my ethnocentrism, huh? Always the subtle things…
I’ve never seen any of the videos you posted before, either, which supports the first point, I suppose. Funny how we can all be on the same site and be in completely different worlds!
I think you make a lot of great points in this post! I love that you mention that YouTube allows people who post videos to reach audiences that without YouTube they could never reach. I also liked your idea that YouTube fosters collaborations. Since I use YouTube mostly for music, I see this collaborative aspect of YouTube in videos where different YouTube musicians come together to cover popular songs – like Goyte’s “Sombodies: A YouTube Orchestra.”
I’ve always thought of the connecting power behind Youtube, but there are still a lot of power structures in play. For example, many videos are blocked (due to copyright or other reasons) to people outside of the US. It’s cool that you’re into soca!
I totally agree that YouTube is a giant melting pot and a reflection of the culture. That’s the great thing about memes and parodies that show up (almost instantaneously) on YouTube. One of the coolest things about it is that you don’t have to be a celebrity to achieve “YouTube Fame.” Anyone can do it and anyone can become a YouTube celebrity.
I love one of your closing statements: “YouTube, most importantly however, gives everyone the opportunity to have a voice and share it. YouTube allows people to share their opinions and beliefs with the world. Put a video up, and your opinions will matter to someone. YouTube makes you heard.” This is extremely true. I hate Justin Bieber, but where would he be without YouTube. His mom felt that his voice should be heard by others, and that his talent would matter to people outside of their family circle. And boy was she right! By uploading videos he changed the lives of millions. I hate to use him as an example but this is the perfect exemplification of how powerful a tool YouTube is.
I agree that I can’t imagine a world without YouTube. And I like your discussion on looking up colleges via YouTube…practical way of “touring” a campus!
I like what you said about using Youtube to express yourself. It really has given so many more people an outlet to share whatever it is that they’re talented in with the world. Sometimes, though, this can be a bad thing, like when people use it to post videos of themselves doing something stupid and dangerous. But I think the good outweighs the bad.
Yeah, it’s incredible how many uses youtube has, for learning new skills or expressing your talents. I love the idea of being able to have feed back on your singing or other forms of expression from people who you don’t know. That’s really cool that you do that!