[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcqUSi8QPN0&list=PLjDKSzhAfjFt4XBFIjk5AIiMunbBWwMj_[/youtube]

While many people I know use YouTube for a vast variety of things, I’ve found that the majority of my YouTube history consists of music and entertainment. For me, YouTube is primarily a place where I go to watch a live performance video that cannot be found on iTunes, or a hilarious clip from a movie or TV show to share with a friend or simply re-live and re-laugh.

When looking back at my recent history, it dawned on me that I use YouTube most—check that, frighteningly—often to watch videos of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band performing live. Essentially obsessed with The Boss, the videos span from the beginning of his career right up to his most recent appearances—yes, he’s still got it—probably due to the countless versions of even a single song as a result of time, style, and/or composition. The love for Springsteen aside, as the three items in my playlist don’t even scratch the surface, videos featuring artists such as U2, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, etc. also make their presence known in my search history, however, my second most prominent use of YouTube is related to movies and television shows. Whether it’s finding and watching a “Best of” compilation of a character from Entourage or a favorite clip or two from perhaps the most underrated comedy movie, I Love You, Man, YouTube is an endless wealth of laughs that could keep me busy—and laughing—for the foreseeable future. Continuing with the comedy theme, YouTube also serves as an excellent medium through which to watch stand-up comedy performances, both in their entirety and in smaller and more specific clips. Bill Burr, a native-Bostonian comedian who is one of, if not the best one out there today, finds himself on my playlist due to his brilliant mix of comedy and truth.

It is truly amazing how enormous and versatile YouTube is. While writing this reflection of what I initially deemed to be a rather large fifteen-video playlist, I have recalled countless more different videos and different types of videos that I have watched on YouTube in the past that simply do not fit on my playlist. But, that’s the beauty of YouTube. YouTube can be anything from learning to tie a tie, to sports highlights, to telling random faceless internet strangers about your day. It is what the user makes of it.