Communication_Studies__Youtube

From lessons on calculus to how to repair an IPhone, everyone knows Youtube is the site to visit. With a grand variety of subject matter, Youtube has become the instant rage among our society today. An analysis based on observations behind the phenomenon of Youtube reveals the key component this website has at hand is the versatility found on the ever so popular website. The website offers different communication purposes as well as different types. Its diversity also invites users to post and watch videos in it at no cost. In fact, so many users from all over the world have joined the Youtube community because of its versatility. In a nutshell, it allows millions of viewers to access and post information freely, whether it is vital or purely for entertainment purposes; it performs it function to the fullest. Youtube is a networking web site; its sole base is communicating different features to the mass media or to just another person. Each video is communicating features such as knowledge, humor, amusement, love, and many more. Some videos communicate just between two individuals such as dedicatory videos, and others target the mass media. For example, recent news can be found in many Youtube "channels" which are directed to the mass media who are interested in watching. In the other hand, Youtube also has love videos which are most often videos created by users as an anniversary gift or just a way to communicate love between couples. We also find television ads targeting the people interested on their market. Any ad seen on television today can most likely be found in Youtube too. For example the new "Old Spice" commercials featuring Isaiah Mustafa in a hot tub, promoting the Old Spice body wash can be found in Youtube. That commercial communicates to all men that Old Spice body wash will make them smell good and women will want them as well as they want Isaiah Mustafa. Also, there are videos that are just for entertainment such as the ones created by “Malum”. Malum is a channel in Youtube featuring two young males who make many comedy videos. They target the mass media hoping to make people enjoy their video and have a good laugh. Moreover, users also upload how-to videos on various topics. Therefore if any individual needs a how-to video on building a table, playing guitar songs, fixing a computer or anything, Youtube has a video clip for it. In other cases, a group of friends might have a memorable event on video but they share between each other through Youtube. For example, random videos of friends singing together at the mall can be found in the web site. Under those videos there are also comments of the people in the video reminiscing that time in their life. Moreover video communication, the website also allows users to leave feedback by commenting or private messaging the user who posted the video. Under most Youtube videos which people have come across there is feedback unless the user who posted the video had turned off the commenting feature. Some users do not want others to see their feedback and there for they send a private message to the user who posted the video. Youtube gives it users the choices to whether communicate interpersonally or to everyone who has access to the web site. The web site invites many viewers with its diverse amount of videos. Youtube viewers can be found in every corner of the world due to its video diversity it offers to their users. Youtube video clips vary and therefore everyone likes at least one of its thousand channels. Its viewers can be found anywhere in the world that has internet connection. Video clips from United States can be watched by Americans in China as well as the Chinese in America can watch the video clips from China. Youtube's versatility is so big that not one person can hate Youtube because there are so many videos targeting many different audiences. Teenagers for example, enjoy Youtube for a good laugh with friends and to learn how to do things like play a song in the guitar. For example, when my friends come over my house there is always a time when one of my friends has to show some Youtube video that has amused or made them laugh. One of my friends will always open the computer to show a Youtube video clip and then each of us would share a video we have come across and enjoyed. Adults are no exception to the Youtube phenomenon. Majority of the adults enjoy Youtube whether it is at work or at home. Many adults have busy lives and work all day which leaves no time to watch television. Therefore, they visit youtube.com to watch the latest news or just movie trailers. Some adults would even visit Youtube at work just for a "laugh break" to relive some stress and tension. Youtube's diversity allows them to watch what they need and want to watch at their own time. Moreover, people who want to listen to a song, watch a movie trailer, have a good laugh or just watch the news visit the web site youtube.com. There are people who do not visit Youtube as much as others as my friend Amanda. In a conversation I had with her I asked her if she used Youtube a lot and her answer was no. I asked he why and she said “because my computer takes FOREVER to load”. Then, I asked her if her computer was in better conditions, would she use Youtube more often and her answer was, “Yup if my internet was faster id use it all the time”. It is a fact that everyone enjoys Youtube and therefore Youtube has created a community for its users. YouTube’s diversity has brought people from all over the world together forming an online community. The Youtube community accepts any user regardless their age, past, culture, ethnicity or sex. The versatility of the videos that the web site offers have brought users from all over the world who share the passion of watching and or making videos together in one place. There are users who upload videos from Egypt and just about any corner of the world that has internet. For example, in youtube.com anyone can find commercials uploaded by American users as well as Japanese commercials uploaded by Japanese users. The versatility of the website has accomplished many people to come together to share their passion for humor, news, and many other subjects. Users worldwide have come together in this web site and share their feedback on videos in comments or private messaging. Youtube has even rules and regulations for video content, comments, and messages that its community “leader” (creator) has set. All users agree to the rules before joining and respect the rule as they interact and share with other users worldwide. The community has become so friendly that users ask each other to post more videos. By observing the million users of Youtube who post videos one can conclude that anyone would post a video unless he or she is a wanted convict like Osama Bin Laden or just too busy to post a video. The versatility that Youtube offers invited users to post videos each with a different reason. Some users post videos to promote themselves in the hopes of being discovered by a big shot talent hunter. For example, Justin Bieber was one of those users who used Youtube to reach their dreams of becoming famous. Before being a celebrity, Justin was a Youtube user who would record himself playing guitar and singing the songs he had written until his Youtube "performances" were seen by Scooter Braun. Scooter Braun became Bieber's manager and signed him with Raymond Braun Media Group. Then, Bieber became a celebrity and it all started with Youtube. Moreover, there are users who use Youtube to create their own "channel" which works like a real TV channel where they choose what to broadcast. A good example of a channel is the "raywilliamjohnson" channel. This channel belongs to a man who finds the recent funniest videos and puts him together with his video clip and presents them. He has new shows every Mondays and Thursday and from his channel a user can watch every video show he has posted. His channel is purely dedicated to entertain people with funny videos and faces he does. Then, we have teenagers who like to post videos to show their skills at playing guitar, pranking, skating, or just anything. One can find videos of teenagers falling of a roof or free running and just about anything. Also, if someone needs to learn how to do something, Youtube has how-to video for just about anything too. Youtube users post how- to videos on anything they know how to fix or what to do. For example, my parents bought me a fan three months ago and I was too impatient to wait for a professional to install it therefore I "Youtubed" how to install a fan. Luckily, many users had posted videos on how to install a fan with step-by-step directions and with my mom's help I was able to successfully install it myself. We also have people who post products they wish to sell in Youtube with a link to website to buy the product. Nowadays, companies have noticed how Youtube has revolutionized society and therefore they post video ads in Youtube too. People and companies post commercials in Youtube in hopes to attract more people to buy their products. In the other hand some people use Youtube to conserve memories of memorable events without risking the video being lost or deleted. Using myself as an example, I had a video of my friend trying the "cinnamon challenge" which involves swallowing a spoon full of cinnamon without water. In this video he did the funniest noises and faces and even though he was unable to accomplish the challenge for me, him, and our other friends, it was a memorable event. Luckily I caught it all on a video but there was a problem. The problem was we all could not watch it unless we were together and there was a possibility of accidently deleting or losing the video. Therefore I uploaded the video to Youtube to tribute to that memorable time so we could all watch it, reminisce, and be sure the video would not get lost or deleted. My experience proves that Youtube's versatility invites anyone to post videos in it. In conclusion, one is unable to tell who would post videos in Youtube because just about anyone would. People who are unfamiliar with computers might be one of the few people who do not post videos. Youtube users are worldwide and post videos for different purposes that Youtube offers. They post videos to entertain, inform, help, promote or just because they are bored. Everyone who posts videos has a different reason and they each have an audience in mind. In a nutshell, my observations and analysis on the Youtube phenomenon concludes that the aspect that has made it so popular it is its versatility. The websites video diversity invites many people to join its community and share their feelings and talents through their varied ways of communication. It also invites people to watch any kind of video (except pornography and hostility) as well as post any video excluding the mentioned. The website’s grand success revolves around its versatility. I believe everyone in the world has visited or at least heard about Youtube once unless they have been living under a rock this past five years.