YouTube: Evolution from Cat Videos to Global Phenomenon
Youtube
The teenage days of the progressive social media; there were no streaming services, and the process of sharing videos was laborious. Here was born the gateway that would overhaul our perceptions on consuming, creating, and sharing content forever: YouTube. This video-sharing website gave birth to a cultural behemoth, affecting various things from entertainment to education to politics and business. So, how did YouTube become the global force it is? Let’s see how far it has come.
The Humble Beginnings
The idea for YouTube would have been born out of frustration. The founders tried to send out a video from a dinner party and found out that there was really no user-friendly way for them to upload and distribute that video online posting. This was their answer: a place where anyone could upload, watch, and easily share videos.
Neither of them knew then that this innocuous shot-Taken by Karim, “standing before elephants at the San Diego Zoo,” as he describes it-would conceivably mark the birth of a digital revolution.
The Rise of User Generated Content
YouTube was so much in its infancy that time was when its content could only be classified as user-generated. Funny cat videos, amateur covers of popular songs, and so many more were uploaded into a website which became, in fact, the new virtual self-expression avenue for the average Joe. This was a real revolution in the democratization of content creation: for the first time, anyone-even those who merely had a camera and a connection to the internet-could reach the entire world.
Sure enough, the site’s fame spread like wildfire, and by 2006, YouTube was gathering more than 100 million views for its videos each day.
This acquisition gave YouTube money to develop the infrastructure, know-how, and reach.
The Birth of a New Industry: YouTubers
As a result, the concept of the “YouTuber” evolved with the growth of YouTube, describing those who made a career out of filming videos and posting them on the site. These early trailblazers-Smosh, PewDiePie, and Jenna Marbles-course-corrected those founding paths to future generations. It never was just a platform again; it became a career path.
Furthermore, the creation of the YouTube Partner Program in 2007 allowed for monetization of the contents by the creators via ads. This creation of incentives promoted high-quality productions, which also caused YouTube to be a place where most of them earned their living. Today, top YouTubers earn millions of dollars annually, and some even turned their online fame to mainstream success.
YouTube as a Cultural Force
It is now something much greater than entertainment; for an education, activism, and social change, it is quite powerful. Quality education has opened the gates to millions through organizations such as Khan Academy and Crash Course. The aforementioned movements drew the message through YouTube-a rallying call for a million people to become active supporters.
As it reshaped the music industry, Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes became YouTube level stars because they were discovered there. And releasing music via YouTube is the way most musicians desire to do it. When it comes to pop culture, simply viral videos and memes not often find their sources outside YouTube.
