Chapter 6 YouTube by Renee Hobbs

Double click to write something....

hobbs — 2016-10-26 20:36:37 UTC

Two Chinese Boys

hobbs — 2016-10-26 20:36:43 UTC

This is one of the earliest video ever posted to YouTube. As these boys sing, it's easy to appreciate YouTube as a karaoke dream-come-true. Van Dicjk notes the tight synergy between professional pop music and YouTube that has evolved from MTV's influence on the culture. Here we see these anonymous users lip-synch to music that comes from Top 40.

YouTube Streaming

fborrione — 2016-10-29 20:06:16 UTC

I chose the final presidential debate not because of the content, but as an example of the growing influence of YouTube also in its live streaming functions. Van Dijck only mentions the option of broadcasting live events (130) as a new functionality. What happened in the last 3 years? According to the YouTube official blog (https://youtube.googleblog.com/2016/10/the-three-2016-us-presidential-debates.html c.<�}��tP, the three 2016 U.S. presidential debates rank as the most-viewed political live streams of all time. The last debate, in particular, hit 2.8M live watch hours, with 1.7M live peak concurrent viewers, over four times higher than 2012. Those impressive numbers show YouTube’s power in a platform in which the old network such as NBC look like a dinosaur (if this term is correct): those media need to evolve and use other media to reach a wider, more dynamic audience. Those numbers also show that the alternative-but-integrated YouTube could be a serious competitor to traditional TV networks. When Amazon already has its own TV shows, how much time before YouTube starts producing its own content?

--Francesca

YouTube/Netflix Convergence

cynthia_taylor — 2016-10-29 23:31:57 UTC

As I was reading VanDijck’s chapter on YouTube, I couldn’t help but think about this new series I’ve been watching on Netflix called Hater’s Back Off. This Netflix-produced comedy is centered on a talentless narcissist named Miranda, who’s on an unbridled quest for stardom and fame through YouTube. At first glance Haters Back Off is simply a satire of YouTube fame-seekers. A deeper look in to the show’s history, however, reveals many of Van Dijck’s (2013) points regarding the convergence of user-generated content with professional generated content, and the integration of multiple media platforms and industries.

Colleen Ballinger, the star of Haters Back Off, has been posting videos of her character “Miranda” on Youtube since 2008. She rose to YouTube fame in 2009 when one of her videos went viral. Since then, Ballinger’s YouTube videos have attracted over 7 million followers and over a billion views. Ballinger’s popularity online led to a Netflix deal: an 8-part series based off of her YouTube Channel that was released this month. Whether or not Ballinger will be as popular on Netflix as she is on YouTube has yet to be seen. One thing’s for certain, though— BOTH platforms have much to gain from this partnership in terms of viewership and access to new audiences.

Here’s Miranda announcing her Netflix deal on YouTube:

The New American Dream?

2016-10-31 01:42:19 UTC

In reading Van DIjk (2013), I did not realize that my generation had become the creator of a new "old wives tale:" all you need to do is upload a video of yourself to YouTube and you will be famous. It remains (to this moment!), an idea that has permeated our connectivity driven culture!

I selected this video because it reinforces the notion that while YouTube may well have once been a site to allow for such upward mobility, as Van Dijk points out, "the idea that YouTube is a site dominated by amateur producers and performers was also soon ready for deconstruction" (Van Dijk, 2013, p. 116). When 18-month old YouTube was purchased by Google, things rapidly began to shift.

Not only is the narrative of being discovered on YouTube outdated, but as Van Dijk explains, it reinforces YouTube as a community of contributors, when it reality, it is a website of users and blended professional looking user-generated content and amateur looking professionally-generated content.

Confused yet? It's still not as confusing as listening to Justin Bieber's baby voice...

-Christine

Streaming vs. Downloading

2016-11-02 01:31:48 UTC

I chose this video because its a simple and direct contrast of streaming vs. downloading. While reading Van Dijck, I became so excited when she began to discuss the difference between the two. I never understood what exactly streaming was! Van Dijck (2013) explained that when streaming, viewers don't own the content they retrieve--they are granted access to view it. On the other hand, downloading is granting yourself ownership to the content. This video shortly emphasizes the difference. Boy, am I enlightened!-Tori

The Power of Branding

2016-11-02 13:03:42 UTC

This video related well to be Van Dijck talked about branded video channels created a home for companies to feature their own videos. This video expressed that 50% of the worlds population is under 30 and 96% of millennials joined a social network. It is clear that youtube is a good place to promote your business and if someone takes time to watch your video it is likely that on the right-hand side in related videos another one of your videos will pop up. Businesses also have the opportunity to advertise throughout youtube. One question you can ask is if you are targeting the right audience and you can also wonder how you can compete with all of the other businesses who use social media to market. Although you cannot be sure at least you have the opportunity to upload your content with the potential of a lot views - Eric

Television on Youtube

2016-11-02 18:47:22 UTC

Growing up, I enjoyed waking up every Saturday morning and turning on Cartoon Network to watch my favorite cartoons on TV. I did not know what Youtube was, at the time I did not care. But as Van Dijck mentions in Chapter 6, every major television station has its own channel on Youtube. Which was designed to keep viewers glued to the computer screen much longer than basic video uploaded content. This is the idea of channeling television into the connective flow. So today I opened up Youtube, and there it was, Cartoon Network. I can go on Youtube and watch all my childhood shows and even check out new shows.
-Samuel Benjamin

YouTube as TV?

aeverett5 — 2016-11-02 18:47:38 UTC

Van Dijck's chapter on YouTube intrigued me, particularly since, unlike Twitter or Facebook, I am not an avid user of this platform. I have used it in the past to create videos for a class assignment, but primarily I utilize the site to search for music or television clips. Much of Van Dijck's conjecture was new to me; I had never considered YouTube as an alternative to traditional television. In turn, I failed to recognize its initial characterization as a social media platform. In my mind, YouTube was something else entirely. However, as the marriage between YouTube and television is solidified, the types of videos that are created on the site are changing. The video I have selected to accompany this paragraph is a TV show that was developed solely for YouTube. It's formatted much like a traditional TV show, but not quite as polished. These "webisodes" are also much briefer and thus must cram plots into a smaller span of time. This particular show is a modern adaptation of the Gothic novella "Carmilla." The web series revolves around the titular vampire character while taking place in a college setting. Each episode is filmed as if it is recorded on a computer webcam, a limited format that would not be sustainable as a traditional TV show. Ultimately, this video perfectly exemplified for me the increasingly blurred lines between YouTube and broadcasting that Van Dijck discusses.

- Annabelle

Broadcast Yourself!

2016-11-02 19:38:09 UTC

As an avid social media user I love to turn to Youtube for a quick laugh, to learn how to do something, or to watch interviews of my favorite celebrities. When reading Van Dijck's chapter on Youtube I was intrigued how she described the partnerships between broadcast television companies. Yes YouTube has a lot of similarities where you can find content that is just like TV. But what really caught my eye was how the platform advertised "broadcast yourself" It's pretty interesting how it promotes that anyone can gain a following and create a living by posting videos. Youtube even pays popular users ad revenue. I immediately thought of one of my favorite social media role models because I follow her on all different channels of media. I then thought but there is thousands of people who do the same type of lifestyle blogging and never get recognized. What is it about these popular Youtubers that make them so watchable? Maybe you can decide for yourself, here's an example of her work! -Kelly