YouTube is a website I use for many purposes, from research to pleasure. I have used YouTube for about as long as I have had a computer and an internet connection. I often use YouTube to find scenes from movies that I enjoy. One example of a scene that I enjoy that I included in my playlist is “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Come Back and Make Up a Goodbye Scene” from the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I also use YouTube to view trailers for upcoming movies that I am excited about. Other ways that enjoy film through YouTube is by watching short films that are posted on YouTube, such as “Validation”.

Another way I use YouTube is to listen to music and watch music videos. I typically like animated music videos and one of my favorite animated music videos is “Do the Evolution” by Pearl Jam. Another form of animation that I enjoy on YouTube is Anime. I especially like watching parts of episodes that I enjoyed or listening to old theme songs. Most of what I do on YouTube is related to music in some way; not only do I like watching music videos and listening to music, I also like finding covers (especially acoustic ones) of songs I like, such as “The Killers – Miss Atomic Bomb” covered by the the Moon Loungers. I also like watching lists of facts and polls on YouTube, especially ones related to music. One of my most viewed channels is WatchMojo and I watch a lot of their top 10 videos, from the top 10 super heroes to the top 10 pop punk bands.

YouTube lets people upload content from twitch and I like listening to other people comment and analyze things that I like, such as video games and TV shows, so I can get their perspective. One example of this is “The Philosophy of Rick and Morty – Wisecrack Edition” where the creator goes into depth of the different philosophical components of the show “Rick and Morty”. I also like watching tutorial and highlight videos of people from twitch; I have made a lot of friends online by interacting with people through twitch. I don’t like looking through past broadcasts and highlights on twitch, especially on the mobile app, so it is very helpful to be able to view the content on YouTube. Not only do I like gaming guides, I also use YouTube to learn how to cook various things. One YouTuber I watch to learn how to cook things is Byron Talbott and I have used his recipes and tutorial videos to cook a variety of dishes for myself and my family.

Like most people on the Internet, I enjoy watching videos of cute and cool animals. One video that I enjoy is the video of the “Cutest snake in the world”. I originally found that video when I watched a documentary by Vice. Vice interviews are another thing that I enjoy on YouTube. I used to stay up late into the night watching political or interesting news stories such as “3D Printed Guns – Documentary”. Other than Vice, I also enjoy watching other content that is related to politics. Sometimes these videos can be promoting an idea or a political movement, such as the notion that Lego should end its partnership with big oil in “LEGO: Everything is NOT awesome”, or the comedic performances of George Carlin that question various political ideas such as abortion, religion and racism.

Another way that I use YouTube is to view viral videos and parodies. These viral videos can range from classics like “leave britney alone” to worldstar videos to the video of the sax battle on a NYC subway. One parody that I am very fond of is “Crocodile Chop”, which is a mashup of the songs “Crocodile Rock”, by Elton John, and “Chop Suey”, by System of a Down.

Overall, most of what I use YouTube for is related to music, film, and video games. However, YouTube means a lot more to me than simply a platform to provide myself with entertainment. YouTube also lets me learn new skills, learn about philosophy and politics and also engage with many other people from around the world.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmLycJ2q9SOgtOkG64t0Ihl-EV2j7x8UO[/youtube]

Okay so I’m just going to start off by saying I probably am on Youtube way more than I should be as a college student. I feel as though my current life revolves around parodies, homework, and pet videos. Here’s a little breakdown of what I have on my playlist and why I’m so into it 😀

1. Game Theories: I like to listen to all the math involved in the analysis of the games I play. I am not smart enough to math and game at the same time so it’s pretty interesting to hear how unrealistic the games I play actually are, as well as why certain things in games wouldn’t make any sense.
2. Dog Fails: Who doesn’t love seeing a bunch of dogs try really hard :)? In a cute way. Reminds me of my dogs, the only word they know is “kitty food”. Favorite is at 1:50.
3. Those who like dog fails will also like people fails. I found this video last winter and I’m sure everyone felt a little bit like they were going to bust their ass. Favorite is at 3:45
4. I have 2 cats and they’ve done most of these things before. Scratching the mirror, chilling in the bucket of dog food, putting their heads in boxes, etc. I miss my cats… Favorite is at 1:32
5. Dogs doing a dog thing.
6. I like to watch properly synced AMV’s with hot anime dudes. It happens.
8. ^Also like to listen to real hot people sing in Japanese.
9. Anime openings: I love them, they’re great. I’ve been introduced to a bunch of great artists via anime openings. I also tend to watch anime only if I think the opening is good.
10. Abridged Series: Sometimes anime is just too long and no one feels like watching 200+ episodes of anything. Cut the anime into a bite sized piece with a sarcastic parody that also covers the gist of what’s actually happening.
11. This is a parody of the above video. Why not?
12. Another parody of the Yugioh Abridged parody. Sung in the voices of the characters from the series. I think this version of “Bad Romance” is better than the original.
13. Fake movie trailer. I’d watch the movie but I still have no desire to play any kind of football game.
14. R. Kelly’s “Trapped in the Closet” but better.
15. Let’s plays. I like to watch speedruns of games I’ve beaten but when I get too lazy to play a game myself because 1. It’s too expensive or 2. I know I’d fail super hard at it, I like to watch other people do it. Markiplier is great and RoosterTeeth isn’t really a Let’s Play but you can watch him fail super hard and swear at his console.

I think I’m a bit special when it comes to Youtube. Not sure how many other people watch these kinds of things but I’m hoping my playlist has opened up a few people to the endless possibilities of awesome. Please creep on my playlist and enjoy some of the weirder things on the internet.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL00gPR4m6gWkQ4JoP-5-vKEcMGalnLi5F

You Tube for me equals a way that my friends and I would promote what we do and ourselves. Or at least it was that way before I came to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Since that time It’s more where I store work for the professors to watch at their own convenience.

When living around and about, crashing at different spots and places, I would work with various Club Kids, Fetishist, Drag Queens, Trannies (not Trans), All ages show types, later day D.I.Y. Punks and other types of subculture people. I would make videos of them going about their daily lives and then post them on one of my four You Tube channels. Though none of the videos every went “Viral”, the channels did get a loyal following. With some of the content being so over the top, it was surprising that none of the videos ever took off in viral popularity. Could be luck of the draw on that, as some videos break years after being posted. I also may have not had the most interesting keywords. The videos not going viral meant more to the people I filmed than to me. I was just looking to capture a moment in time.

I looking to capture moments in time I also taped my neighbors, friends and relatives just being themselves. I taped the look and sounds of the apartment I grew up in after the death of my parents and the landlord asking me to leave it. I knew, as the building is older and could be torn down or just due to the fact we have no legal claim on it, that I would never experience those simple sights and sounds again. I placed them on You Tube for safe keeping and also to access them whenever I feel nostalgic or lost for not having any home.

For schoolwork, some of the professors at the University of Massachusetts Amherst ask for us to post videos of our work on the internet. A couple of them have warned us not to however, fearing intellectual theft. I usually do post the videos of my classwork on the internet to share with people who know me and to receive their feedback. It’s a way of keeping in touch with people I do not regularly see anymore.

Like most people, I listen to music on You Tube. Listening to music already known and learning new music. I do this much less since coming to the the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The reason being is use the schools computers as my main computer due to lack of laptop. So I am not usually alone long enough on the schools computer to just sit back and relax and go through all the various music links. I also, once watched various new and old TV shows I could find. This too I do much less since coming to the university. In an odd way I had more alone time, especially on computers, when I was a street kid crashing about than I do on a giant campus filled with computers.

The Top 15 playlist below represents videos of people I know, videos I made for class, music I sometimes listen to and odd and ends I’m interested in.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNRy47V6Su8o0FveR8sxciPU_yVEzIHwT

What does YouTube mean to me?

YouTube to me means many different things. It is for one an amazing place for music. I discover so much music through watching YouTube videos of bands. The music videos too are something I am always interested in watching.   In my opinion some of the best music videos come from the band, Animal Collective. They have very interesting a crazy videos with ridiculous visuals. They put a lot of effort into the videos for the songs and they always accompany the music in a very tasteful way.

Not only do I use YouTube for the music videos but also it is amazing for seeing live videos from my favorite artist. With many cell phone and pro shot footage of live music I am able to watch many of my favorite artists play my favorite songs live. Also I love watching NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert’s. It is always so cool hearing bands strip down their sound and play in the NPR studio. YouTube makes music extremely easy to find and I use it all the time to hear new music, watch music videos and to see live performances.

Also I love really cheesy videos like Neature Walk. It is super goofy and well acted that it is absolutely hilarious to me. My friends and I were all obsessed with the Neature Walk videos and we still quote it to each other all of the time. YouTube is also my go to website for when I need a good laugh. There are so many funny videos that I watch whenever I want to laugh. I always watch videos of my favorite comedians on talk shows like Conan and The Eric Andre Show and just goofy videos like Neature Walk. YouTube made it very easy to find and share funny with my friends that we can all watch and laugh about. These videos end up becoming inside jokes between my friends and I.

Parody videos also are something I watch a lot of on YouTube. When done well parody videos are amazing and hilarious. On the Eric Andre Show he had comedian Rory Scoval on to do a parody of a cooking segment and it is one of the funniest and craziest video’s I have ever seen. I’ve watched it dozens of times and it still cracks me up.

YouTube is a website that I use every single day. Even though I may complain about it a ton, for things like slow buffering times and annoying ads, it is still an amazing website. Even though now I tend to use Spotify more then YouTube for music purposes. Spotify does not offer me music videos and live performances so I still use YouTube on occasion. YouTube is still the number one place I go to for funny videos. So even though I may use it a little less than I used to it still is a very important website. Whether it be for music or comedy, YouTube is an important part of modern media.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4SnRv4MPWxHgnvrJm_s9iTKdF9SkKh19[/youtube]

This is what I came up with when I found I use youtube more frequently than I thought. I use youtube for a lot of different things like tutorials on how to use my Adobe and Autodesk programs, to relax with a music video, to get inspiration for my art, to see what new piece of technology is around the corner; the list goes on. It’s remarkable what kinds of things you can find on youtube. Now the go-to video streaming/uploading service, youtube serves most people for sharing family videos, seeing what’s trending in most circles and communities, and seeing what’s funny. It’s a pretty diverse range of material and a lot of them cross over in types of videos I watch.

For example, all of the music videos present on the playlist are animated. I like to listen to new and old music on youtube along with what the creators wanted to show their work with. These also serve the purpose of being inspiration for my own art and animations. Music videos are really fun to work with, as its the form of video that most directly links the aural with the visual. It’s a truly unique form of art. Some others are both animation and humorous, like the PES avocado video. This video, and that channel in general, is a great example of what I’d like to do with a lot of my work. The traditional animation is very interesting to me, much like the Fleet Foxes music video and Grizzly Bear music video. These videos have inspired certain projects of mine in the past and I’m certain they and other videos like them will inspire me again.

The first video on the playlist represents how youtube began for me. This type of parody-comedy found a home on youtube, making fun of different “how to” videos commonly found om the site. Comedy was my entrance genre into the world of online video steaming, and is still a reason I (along with most people I assume) go to youtube. Howtobasic still makes videos, albeit they lack a certain personality now, in my opinion.

I also use youtube for more serious how-to videos, such a completing a quest line in a video game, building a hardcover book, or really any more complicated thing I’ve never done before.

Similar to how-to videos, I also browse reviews for many things. In this case, it’s a carbon steel skillet (who better to trust than America’s Test Kitchen?). In other cases it could be a new game I’m either skeptical about or obsessed over.

Nowadays, I use youtube to stay updated on what’s coming up in the world of film and video games, so you’ll see a few trailers for a truly excellent film Synecdoche, NY. I also included a trailer for the upcoming game No Man’s Sky, a truly visionary title that takes place in a fully immersive experimental galaxy. Since there’s only room for 15 videos, I can’t show all the other films and games I discovered on youtube.

Truly an all encompassing medium, and a part of the all-powerful Google, Youtube is here to stay, and as a unique form of entertainment for all of its users.