Thank you to Elona and Georgia, for sparking my sudden interest in this topic for this blogpost. Elona's post on Jersey Shore and Georgia's response to my post on celebrities and religion gave rise to this idea.
YouTube was created in early 2005 and in only six years, the website has become the world's most widely used medium for uploading and viewing video content. In my personal opinion, YouTube has greatly contributed to society - and its contributions are not limited to how it has innovated the way we share and view videos.
Just as Dustin Kidd argued in his article that popular cullture, by virtue of its ubiquty is normal, YouTube has also become a norm in society. The website began as a platform for individuals to upload original content and continues to serve that purpose, however, now large media corporations also share material through the website. In November 2006, YouTube was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion.
For the purpose of organization, I borrowed Dustin Kidd's subheadings and tweaked them to relate to YouTube.
YouTube as a Space of Norm Production
I'm sure most people have either been part of or witnessed a conversation about a YouTube video. It is normal to say "I saw this video on YouTube..." or after recording an embarrassing video jokingly (or non-jokingly) say, "I'm going to put this on YouTube!" Media corporations use the website as another means of communicating and transmitting their messages about social norms - what to wear, how to act, etc. Viewers are exposed to more ideas about social norms through video bloggers, music videos, news reports... pretty much every video uploaded on the site!
YouTube and Social Boundaries
As Dustin Kidd argued, popular culture helps constitute our identities and also separate our identity categories from others. In the same way, YouTube offers a system to strengthen our identities by creating lists of "similar videos" for users. Subscriptions help individuals stay connected to other users who share similar identities and the "Trending Videos" section of the website offer users a way of knowing what the rest of the world is watching. These features on the website reinforce social boundaries and our understanding of the norm.
The Rituals of YouTube
YouTube allows for shared sentiment through its multitude of videos, whether it be a new music video, a cute kitten video, or a man talking about a bedroom intruder. The millions of people who watch these videos share a sense of meaning. It is also very common for groups of friends to come together to watch a funny YouTube video together or pass links to friends through Facebook and Twitter.
YouTube and Innovation
YouTube has redefined the way we share and view video. Individuals are invited to broadcast themselves through a medium that can reach the worldwide audience within minutes. Unlike traditional television, the viewer has freedom to search what they are looking for and can interact with the video creators by rating videos, commenting, or making video responses. Not only has YouTube given new meaning to video, but it has also reshaped the music industry. YouTube gave new meaning to music videos, a marketing device that had lost much of its significance at the start of the millennium. Many talented artists who made videos either for fun or to get noticed by record labels have been signed to major labels and everyday people have made themselves into celebrities. Through YouTube, anyone can be an expert (e.g. make-up tutorials) and anyone can be a critic.
YouTube as the Road to Change
The main positive contribution YouTube made to society was a bottom-up quality. The public was responsible for the original and creative content on the website. However, after the interference of large media corporations, the website became commercialized and has more of a top-down quality. YouTube allows for interaction between creators and consumers where the everyday person can share their opinions.
I am an absolute YouTube junkie. Often times, instead of Googling topics, I search YouTube to see what opinions people have to say. I never thought I would reflect so deeply on YouTube, but this course continues to surprise me week by week!
Here are some of my favourite YouTube videos... maybe some of these will allow for shared sentiment!
I would fill this blogpost with a million videos if I didn't think it seemed too excessive.
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