When thinking about my relationship with YouTube and what I use it for, the only thing that pops into my head is music that I can’t find on Spotify. I figured that I would have to dig a little deeper to see if I used it for anything other than music and the occasional funny vid that a friend had suggested to watch. Perusing my YouTube playlist history was the only way I could really get a grasp of what I exactly use YouTube for.
I discovered these 15 videos that I would consider my “Digital Playlist”:
1.
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrjJbl7kRrI
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5vGclenONQ
4.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2OQMsaWX3o
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdwchohlMjI
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGfY4Zzq2fI
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTxq1PSm6kM
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW7PKjH5LR8
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAQtbTqDefw
10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE1DuBesGYM
11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HB9DvJWCIQ
12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuOgaFnpTB0
13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uuuxs9gO8C0
14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTA7MnI4F7U
15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HbYScltf1c
I have realized that this accumulation of videos can be separated into categories. YouTube can be used for so many things! Way more than just music, my list also includes a “How-To” video, Educational clips, Philosophical talks, comedian performances, movie trailers, and show teasers.
It was really interesting to go back through my history, I found myself nostalgically loading more into the past to see what I was watching days, weeks, months, even years ago! It is almost like a diary of your interests. While I would say 80% of the videos were music videos, I could see my change in taste of music and also appreciate re-listening to “throw backs”.
It is funny because I can almost recall why I was looking up certain videos as well. I came across #6, a video highlighting the Information Age and explaining Brunel and I thought back to my study abroad experience in London and how I researched who exactly this engineer was and why he was so famous.
Videos like #15 help me to recall that I watched this video of famous comedian Louie C.K. and he was able to articulate so well my feelings for cellphones and general technology. That video influenced me so much to even write a paper and use it as an example for my Digital Culture class. In which video #10 was also related. I remember my Digital Culture professor told us to watch the Ted Talk on the positive aspects of gaming and how it might not have a negative effect on society but rather a positive one, how it enlightened me and gave me a different perspective. While on the topic of watching videos for educational purposes, I recall that I watched #13 in order to gain a better understanding for a concept that I did not understand very well from a textbook and looked to YouTube for some answers.
Writing this reflection right now makes me appreciate how I’ve used YouTube over the past few years and how many purposes it has rather than just silly animal videos or.. silly human videos. It is a fantastic source of education for professors to help their students learn, it is a community encouraging more DIY projects, it is a source for self-education, a source for news, and for entertainment. So thank you YouTube, for providing the public the ability to learn, laugh, and reflect.