Youtube has provided me with more than the founders could have ever planned for when they began their company and service. I have used Youtube in a number of ways, most prominently in trying to discover and listen to music. Included in my playlist is a video from a concert that was the year of my birth. This was an experience I would never had been able to see and hear if it were not for the digital archives of youtube, to which I also owe the pleasure of viewing a “tiny desk” concert provided by NPR. I believe the coolest part of youtube and its provisions of music are the live concerts and events that you can see vicariously through the eye of the camera.

In addition to music I also enjoy using youtube as an educational tool. In my playlist I have multiple videos that offer lessons on diverse concepts and crafts. I’m a self taught musician, but if I had to attribute my training to somewhere it would undoubtedly be the internet and more specifically youtube. Many of my adolescent days were spent watching videos on how to play guitar and eventually when I grew older, mandolin. Whether it had been a basic lesson in strumming rhythms or learning more advance jazz scales I could find nearly everything I needed on youtube. I’ve included a lecture from Leonard Bernstein which has been one of the most inspiring and interesting lectures I’ve ever seen. Aside from music I also enjoy watching videos that teach different concepts that touch upon a number of fields. Two videos on my playlist are from some of my favorite video series on youtube, those series are 8-bit philosophy and RSA animate. I love to hear the experts explain with ease the concepts that may be abstract and difficult to grasp in a textbook. The way they explain the material is digestible and by incorporating the multiple levels of media the clarity comes through even more. The interpretive visual aspect is something that, at least for me, is incredibly enlightening and strongly reinforces the concept at hand.

Then of course there is the delightful world of comedy. While youtube for me primarily serves as a platform for searching and discovering music and cool ideas I, like nearly everyone else, love to spend some time to have a good chuckle. I’ve included a view videos that I’ve thought were funny for their satire and parody. I enjoy the fact that youtube conglomerates multiple comedy groups on one platform so you can view them all conveniently. It makes watching college humor videos followed by SNL videos followed by random cat videos so much easier.

Some other uses that I have for youtube are for previewing games and products I might want to purchase. I enjoy watching a good speed run happen as well as viewing normal gameplay of games I used to have or hope to have.

Finally on my list I have a video that I created for a class last year. And while this is but a small dent in the youtube community I hope to become a greater contributor in the community as I try and create more digital projects like the one featured in my playlist.