Playlist

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs98jVIvB8hl-_78S9kJurnuSqODtLhMz[/youtube]

If you have already glanced at my playlist, you’ll have noticed that it’s essentially a mixtape. However, I swear it’s not the self-flattering kind designed to showcase my superior tastes, or cultivate a sense of eccentric distinction. (And if you have seen the list already, you’ll know that I’m telling the truth). Instead, it’s my best attempt at a faithful chronological record of my engagement with YouTube over about the last decade. It begins with my lightbulb moment, my first glimpse of its potential usefulness, and continues over the years until the present, where I continue to realize more or less that same tiny fraction of potential. As this last sentence might suggest, I am perennially behind the technological curve, at least in my peer group, but I will elaborate on that in a moment. For now, about that light bulb…

…It flickered on, I think, sometime in the year 2005, straddling my Freshman and Sophomore years of high school.[1] I was sitting at my family’s desktop computer, contemplating the online purchase of a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert DVD, when it occurred to me that perhaps on the internet, the footage I sought was already available, instantly, for free. So I Googled YouTube. Now up to that point, I was only dimly aware that YouTube existed. I knew it by the buzz that had been surrounding it in school for the past several months, but from that I’d gathered only a vague association to videos. As brilliant as YouTube’s concept sounds now, hearing the idea back then made almost no impression on me. It wasn’t until I had a specific, urgent need, to see and hear my favorite band play live, that I ventured tentatively to its homepage.

My playlist tells the rest of the story. The first video of RHCP performing “Otherside”, while not exactly the same video, likely contains the same footage as the one I first watched on YouTube that day. Since then, YouTube has been by far and away my primary platform for music. Maybe in another few years I’ll come around to Spotify, but until then, YouTube will continue to be the source of my daily music fix, especially for live music. The first two thirds of my playlist are all examples of this. I tried to pick not just the songs but the actual videos which stick out most prominently in my memory. I’ve tried to keep an interval of one or two videos per year since 2005.

Within this bunch of songs, you’ll notice one exception. “Salad Fingers 1 – Spoons”, is the first viral video I ever saw. I watched about thirty seconds of it peering over a bunch of shoulders in somebody’s basement back in high school. As I compiled this playlist, all I remembered was something about spoons. Amazingly, I searched YouTube for “spoons”, and this video is like the third result. I still haven’t watched the whole thing, but I’m including it for the record, and also for diversity’s sake.

Speaking of which, the final third of my playlist are all various ways in which I’ve begun to expand my YouTube horizons: watching movies, video game walkthroughs, guitar lessons, cute videos, and sports highlights. The deeper I delve, the more I kick myself for being late to the game, especially now that I see YouTube more broadly as a tool for self-education. Too that end, I am definitely going to check out the Idea Channel, which I discovered in my teammate John’s playlist.

The last video on playlist is actually the last YouTube video I’ve watched before submitting this playlist. My girlfriend just sent to me on Facebook two minutes ago. It’s pretty cute.  And not only does it complete the list chronologically, it represents one of the ways YouTube has become a way to connect with people in my life.

In summary, I now sense better than ever before that there’s a wealth of exciting educational and creative content on YouTube, surrounded by a vibrant, dedicated community. It’s completely accessible to me, I just have to start doing it, and I will make that one of my goals for this semester.

Playlist Link

My Youtube playlist is just like the rest of my life; full of music.  I’ve never really been into web series, and aside from the occasional funny clip I see linked on Facebook or Twitter, the extent of my Youtube use is music.  I use Youtube to preview any song I might be thinking of buying, to discover new music and artists and different versions of songs I already love.  On my playlist I included some of my new favorites as well as some of my long time favorites, ranging from live performances to music videos to mashups.  I use Youtube probably about three or four times a week to listen to music.  When a new album comes out by an artist I like, I’ll go to Youtube and listen to the full versions of all the songs.  When I have friends over, we’ll search our favorite songs on Youtube as an easy way to give everyone a chance to pick songs from their favorite genre or artist.  I know that there is a lot more to discover on Youtube, but other than music, I’ve never been very interested in searching further.

Personally, I love Youtube.  You always hear those success stories about people who were “discovered” on Youtube.  Ellen Degeneres is known for finding cute kids with talent all over Youtube and bringing them onto her show, and I think that’s awesome.  Although I know there are many dangers with Youtube, such as children uploading videos without their parents permission, I think when it is used correctly it is a great site for everyone.  My younger cousins use Youtube to find help on video game levels that they’re struggling with.  I remember when I was younger we would have to go buy the game guide at the store if we couldn’t figure out a level.

I’m not entirely sure the definition of a Youtube channel, but I have an account through my g-mail and I enjoy having it.  It recommends things I may like, which is incredibly helpful when I’m trying to find new music or artists to listen to.  I can understand that some people might not want to be tracked in this way, but personally, I see it as a benefit.  Youtube finds songs or artists that are similar to the ones I already listen to and recommends new ones so I’m never at a loss for new music.

I don’t know much about the culture of Youtube.  I make it a point not to read comments on Youtube videos because I know the majority of them are trolling.  Other than that, I only vaguely know of some Youtube users that make money by creating celebrity gossip videos or make up tutorials, but other than that, I don’t really know the Youtube culture.  Overall, I think Youtube offers a lot of value to everyone, whether they be someone like me who just casually goes on to listen, someone like my cousins who use it for assistance, or a Youtube entrepreneur who uses it to become famous or make money, I think it’s overall more good than bad.