How Does YouTube Work? Essay Example

YouTube is one of the most common and popular forms of media in this day and age. Since the day it was up and running, there has been more buzz about what is going on in the world.  It has been one of the most used sources of media since its production and contains everything from music videos to random things that people come up with in their own lives. Many can post or upload nearly anything they want as long as it does not violate any privacy policies or is not against the law. YouTube is a lot like Myspace and Facebook when thinking of media and how it is integrated into our society. It is a type of media that brings many communities, countries, cultures, age groups, and lives together. Along with videos to share, there is also a place where patrons can leave comments on specific videos and others are able to interact with them through these comments. YouTube is an amazing website that allows for much growth and is very important to visual culture.

Webopedia (2013) gives the following definition of the term YouTube and its corporation:

A popular free video-sharing Web site that lets registered users upload and share video clips online at the YouTube.com Web site. To view the videos you are not required to register. Launched in 2005 by former PayPal employees, the video-sharing site was acquired by Google Inc. in October 2006 for US $1.65 billion in Google stock. YouTube is currently based in San Bruno, CA and is a subsidiary of Google, Inc.

As stated above, YouTube is a website that allows individuals to upload, share, and watch videos. Individuals can make their own videos and upload those videos to share with the online community or they can share others videos so they can spread the word about something, so they can reach out to others, or so they can gain insight on something that interests them. According to John Galt (2007), “YouTube also offers users the ability to embed videos in other sources. This means that a video on YouTube can be put onto other sources and played in that manner.” This makes it easy for individuals to post these videos on their Facebook pages, websites, and other media sources. It gives business owners opportunities to promote their business, show features of their businesses, and provide feedback in reference to their businesses. It allows the public to gain an understanding of many different aspects of culture, music, life, and society in a large realm of versions. It helps communities promote non-profit organizations or things that may interest them. It is an important aspect of visualization that helps many people reach out to others. Its distinguishing primary function is to allow the public to share videos and provides a source of entertainment to many. It gives many an outlet to the entertainment that we all crave. People are able to upload and download nearly anything from YouTube and this gives them some authority in reference to what is going on their computers and in their lives. All who are able to understand the importance of the Internet are able to benefit from a site like YouTube. We are social people living in a society where things are different, views are different, and our lives are all different. YouTube allows us to share our interests, visions, talents, and cultures. Galt (2007) states “with YouTube now becoming a primary target for politicians and ad campaigns, it is very unlikely that the website, which has become an icon of popular culture, is going anywhere soon.”  This shows us that even politicians are using this source to get to the public and communities worldwide.

YouTube is very important to the visual culture. Many individuals learn by visual or auditory examples and YouTube gives everyone the opportunity to see certain aspects of life through a different lens. YouTube is a very cultural place consisting of different music, news, movies, and events and allows a person to visualize what is going on out in the world, especially if they are confined to one place. Without sites like YouTube many individuals would not see a different culture or experience different music. The beauty is that people are able to upload and share their videos for the entire Internet world to see. These individuals are also able to comment on videos that others post. This allows for them to make connections, talk to others from different countries or different areas of the United States, and is also very visual. Without this contact, YouTube may not actually be as successful either. Many people like to be able to connect with one another, especially to share interests, and if this was not part of YouTube, it may be more difficult to get views. The ability to leave comments helps YouTube become more user friendly and gives back to the visual culture that it attempts to accommodate. Before YouTube, we were able to view music videos on television. However, there are many people without cable and music and music videos have always been important in our society as a form of entertainment.

One specific music video is that of Jackie Evancho. Evancho, contestant on America’s Got Talent, has an extremely beautiful voice for a very young girl. Her performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” on YouTube is an exceptionally stunning video and a true piece of art. The video can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw7e_qvPgks.  The visual effects of the video are of utmost importance as we see Evancho singing this song. The visual effects show her beauty, the beauty within the song, the feeling that she gives off when she sings, and helps us understand her emotions as she performs. When hearing the song on the radio, we are not able to see these emotions, but YouTube allows us the opportunity to visualize the performance in our own eyes and our own way. I have followed Jackie Evancho since she was a contestant on America’s Got Talent and knew that I could find some of the videos on YouTube; therefore, I went to the site and was able to locate most of her songs. When doing so, I found this one in particular and found it to be one of perfect precision, diligence, visualization, and beauty. This video is truly a work of art. When thinking of music, we tend to believe that it is a form of art no matter what. However, I would not consider all music art. Some of it is just gibberish and does not sound good at all. But, Evancho’s voice all in itself is art. She sings with such grace, precision, and emotion that it is hard for it not to be considered art. She sings mostly Opera and this has been an art form for many centuries. However, that is not the only reason it is art to me. Most music videos are a form of art to me, but you have to be a specific kind of artist to really create the kind of art form that music expects to set. Jackie Evancho does this very easily. She is a very determined, diligent young girl with an amazing voice that allows us to feel the art that she performs. Art is a form of visualization and visual culture. YouTube does one of the best jobs with providing the community with most of this visual culture. Since it is an auditory and visual place, the visual culture comes alive with some of the smallest videos. This video by Jackie Evancho is one of specific visual art. By watching her sing, we visualize what is happening during the song; we see how she feels and what she thinks by the emotions that she gives off. As stated earlier, this cannot be done when listening to the radio. Since these are videos, they are expected to be more visual than anything else.

In conclusion, YouTube is a site that allows many people to upload and share their videos with the world. It helps individuals communicate, share, experience, and live in different ways. It helps business owners promote their businesses by allowing them to share their website via videos. It is a form of livelihood for many people in many different countries and helps many understand different cultures, different ages, and different times in life. It is a source of information and entertainment all at the same time. It gives the latest updates on news, is used for music videos and movies, and provides information on sports, politics, and many other areas of interest to the community. It allows people to communicate via comments and gives many the chance to connect through their interests. Music videos, such as the one by Jackie Evancho, are pure sources of entertainment. The video of Evancho performing is one of my personal favorites because it is not only entertainment; it is also a form of art. YouTube allows many individuals the opportunity to think outside the box and will be around for many more years to come.

References

John Galt. 2007. How Does YouTube Work?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://voices.yahoo.com/how-does-youtube-work-600242.html?cat=15. [Accessed 28 April 13].

Webopedia. 2013. YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/Y/YouTube.html. [Accessed 28 April 13].

YouTube. 2013. Jackie Evancho: “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw7e_qvPgks. [Accessed 01 May 13].