In today's society we are more connected then ever before. The internet and technology have provided us with systems and tools that can keep us in touch with each other and allow us to share information faster then any other time in history. But it's no longer just telephone calls and e-mails. Since the introduction of streaming online video people all over the world have been wasting their time at work, in the classroom, and at home on the ultimate pop culture tool of them all: YouTube.
There is truly no better way in the world to see glimpses of all aspects of pop culture then to watch videos on sites like youtube. You can watch videos on almost any single topic that interests you whether it be sports, politics, music whatever. Funny videos and dramatic documentaries alike can be found with a few strokes of a keyboard. I say this because i myself know this all too well as i have probably wasted more then a thousand hours of my life just browsing through videos on youtube. But the point is that being able to watch these videos can actually have a huge affect on peoples lives. Politicians are now even using it to campaign and put up ad's trying to sway the minds of viewers to their ways of thinking.
But the great thing about youtube is that it is not only limited to big important politicians and huge broadcasting companies like the standard news and entertainment that we see today. Anyone can use youtube and post videos about any topic under the sun. Granted there are some pretty shitty videos out there of people just siting in front on the computer doing stupid stuff. But there are also a lot of hilarious and useful videos out there to. It is the ultimate way to stay connected with what's going on in the world and what people are doing and thinking. That within itself is what makes youtube the ultimate pop culture tool.
4 comments:
I absolutely agree, YouTube is the ultimate pop culture tool, in which everything that becomes popular only does so because it appealed to enough people to cause it to gain notoriety, not just the media deciding for us. With so many "internet phenomenon" being born each day YouTube and sites like it seem to be the only real logical way to get the media out into the public view, and seemingly without cognitive bias. I do however wonder how long it will last before it is bought out by some media congomerate (or maybe it already has) and it becomes corrupted by the bias and politics of the media. Let us hope that day never comes.
- Corey Luttrell
YouTube really has become a major tool of pop culture because it is used by so many people, in so many ways. The evolution of YouTube and all its uses is remarkable. It may have started with people adding pointless videos but it has turned into a helpful way to find information on many topics. Just last week, my biology teacher used videos from YouTube for a visual representation of the processes she was explaining. So even though we may use YouTube for funny random videos, teachers are using it as a teaching aid. It is amazing to me how a site based on video clips has become so popular and so useful. As helpful as it can be for watching political debates or finding serious information, it does seem to be addicting when I start watching those funny videos. Just like facebook it has become another way for me to waste time and put off my important work.
Pointless and useful at the same time, Youtube is definitely a major tool of pop culture. I have also spent countless hours on the site, looking at videos that catch my eye when I'm particularly bored. Most have just wasted my time, but as you say, there are surely a lot of useful videos on Youtube. For example, this site can be used by teachers to help educate their students or for anyone to catch up on news, politics, etc. This is exactly what we all did for our english paper: watch the presidential debate on Youtube (if we couldn't catch it on TV).
Youtube is a brilliant invention. Period. I am right there with you having wasted hours of my life watching pointless videos and getting some great laughs out of it. I do agree that is has a very useful aspect as well. Although television has allowed for ideas to an unprecedented amount of people, I think youtube has made this ability much more efficient. Instead of having to wait for the TV show or if they just want to see a part of some video clip, they can just type it into the computer and there it is for their viewing pleasure. It allows for people to access information that they are interested in a matter of seconds. As you noted, youtube has broadcasted the presidential debates on its website for all to see. This presents the opportunity for people who didn’t have the ability to watch in on TV to catch it on the internet. Other people post videos of how to play an instrument or how to speak a language. I believe that this ability to share information to world will create a more informed world. In addition, it is a great way for people to express or present themselves to people that might not have had the ability to see these people in person. For example, over the past few years I have seen people become famous because of how popular they have become on youtube. All in all, youtube is a great invention for the sharing of visual information.
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