Communication Technologies - What I learned about YouTube

   

    While Valentine's Day is a day know for love and adoration, in the year 2005 the world was given a very different expression of love. February 14th, 2005, Steve Chen, Jawed Karim, and Chad Hurley released their labor of love, a video streaming platform, YouTube. As the brainchild of three former PayPal employees, YouTube was designed as its name states, with "you" the user in mind. The platform highlights its consumer on both ends of the platform's purpose, with the consumer uploading their own videos and viewing those of others. This was the first time the world had seen a video streaming service and especially one which the user has control over both the content uploaded to the site and the content available to all users. 

    In the months following its official launch in December of 2005, the platform was experiencing about 2 million video views each day. This level of public interaction with the platform brought the company to societies main stage. People were using YouTube, people were talking about YouTube, and people were learning from YouTube. When its founders were searching for the main goals of the platform they knew they wanted global collaboration of content, but they never expected the boom that would follow.

    After mounting success for the young company in 2005 and 2006, internet giant, Google took interest. With a current valuation of 1.65 billion, Google purchased YouTube from the three founders with the hope of taking a foothold into a region of the internet they had not yet been able to gain traction in, the video sharing side. When Google acquired the startup, YouTube was losing money annually as the main corporate trajectory was to gain users and viewers with less of a financial focus. In the years following the acquisition, Google introduced advertisements within the streaming service. In August of 2007 the first ads were introduced with the buyers being Fox, The Simpsons Movie, BMW, and Hairspray. These 2 years marked the start of YouTubes profitability, which has led to its almost 200 billion dollar evaluation today. The interest from the ad purchasers was that they could create ads from a range of industries that would appeal to the likes of all user demographics, as the platform began to see some of the youngest and oldest in mankind viewing their content.

    Looking back, YouTube has changed global society. What started out with the concept of video online dating, with influence from the website Hot or Not turned into one of the world's first portals of communication. The YouTuber is born! The first YouTuber, co-founder Jawed Karim posted, "Me at the Zoo" on April 23, 2005. As video capabilities have been enhanced, we have seen the rise of content creators like Mr.Breast and DudePerfect. These creators have been able to make a considerable amount of money by way of ad and product deals that was previously only reserved for A class celebrity income.  

    YouTube has transformed the ways everyone, no matter socioeconomic status nor geographical region can learn, share, and experience. The platforms free nature allows for those who cannot afford high ticket streaming services to enjoy a laugh over a funny video and entertain themselves for the simple price of a several second advertisement. This type of accessibility has powered educators and pros to post content onto the platform, encouraging the best form of public information sharing. This has become essential for every DIYer and math student alike, as the free unfiltered assistance makes all the difference. The new experiences YouTube has given mankind can only be compared to the early 20th century when the radio was first introduced. The radio and YouTube both instantaneously connect its user with the world around them as they immerse the user's senses in the information at hand and connect individuals' oceans apart, like never before.