MDA20009: A Letter into Visual Communities and Social Imaging.
Research into the social and visual aspects of digital communities has shown the importance of sharing images and videos as to communicate and connect with others. More importantly, the social media platform, YouTube, has changed the way people share and view such visual content and has contributed to creating whatās known today as a participatory culture.
While YouTube is a user-generated platform, it has been considered one of the most revolutionary forms of social media which allow individuals to upload and share visual content which can be viewed by audiences across the world for free (Crick, 2016). According to Burgess and Green (2013), YouTube was founded by Chad Hurley, Steven Chen and Jawed Karim, and was launched in 2005 only to later be acquired by Google in 2006 for the sum of 1.65 billionā¦ technically if you can find a niche in the world of social media it will most likely rear the heads of large corporations which will happily buy your product. Nevertheless, YouTube has since taken the world by storm, and in 2011 it was host to approximately 3 billion videos which continue to grow, exponentially, to this very day (Eastman and Ferguson, 2012, p. 134).
With recent research into the impacts of YouTube on cultures, Crick (2016) argues that YouTube has changed how cultures communicate and receive information through its implementation and integration into the worldwide web. And that it has led to the divergence of traditional broadcasting methods by enabling people to participate in the world of media (Crick, 2016) through the ability to generating their own content. While visual content is provided by a diverse range of individuals and groups which including professionals and armatures from all over the world, it has enabled many cultures to share and communicate with each other by removing boundaries that were once experienced in a broadcast culture. For it could be said that up until the mid-90s many people across the world were nothing more that receivers of information that was broadcasted by media corporations on fixed channels within their own nations and under the guidelines of their governments (Bingle, 2012, pp. 40-66). It also meant that the visual world was largely based around TV and cinema which was defined by oneās own culture and whereby citizens did not participate in the creation or production of such things (Bingle, 2012). And that it wasnāt until the mid-90s that world began to embrace and utilize visual content through the use of digital technology and the worldwide web, creating a global village and greater access to other cultures.
Nevertheless, as social media took hold of the Twenty-First Century, mainstream media began to converge with YouTube. As suggested by Eastman and Ferguson āuser-generated content is unique, and it competes for the attention of audiences who might otherwise watch other forms of television. While for viewers battling boredom, it is an easier way for viewers to find something entertaining on [YouTube] than on regular televisionā (Eastman & Ferguson, 2016, p. 136-137). This has meant that YouTube has now become a popular source for viewers of such visual content, forcing mainstream media to integrate with such a platform. Because of this, YouTube now contains streams of channels which consist of a mix of professional and amateur videos created by different individuals and groups. Whatās even more interesting, such visual content has now been reduced to short clips and has created what is commonly known as a āclip cultureā (Eastman & Ferguson, 2016, p. 136). Be as it may, peopleās attention spans have reduced and are drawn to such YouTube clips because it provides them with the ability to view that which interests them directly, and removes the painstaking wait for adverts and unwanted content that so often comes with broadcast television (Mateo, 2006). This is in contrast to the 90s and when peopleās attention was largely held for hours by the television and the broadcast of TV shows complied with endless amounts of adverts.
However, YouTube has ignited peopleās interests, curiosity, and imagination whereby individuals regularly participate in the creation of content which pertains to every aspect of the physical world. And that people are drawn to its various affordances that it provides. For instance, those who create and share videos are provided with personal accounts that allow individuals to use pseudonymous names as to retain anonymity. Secondly, individuals can upload and edit as many videos as they want and whereby time restrictions are not applicable. Thirdly,Ā individuals can create a community through communicating and connecting with viewers through such videos and discussion threads. And finally, the creator is also provided with the means to manage their accounts, content, and community through various tools and privacy options, such as deleting comments or content and blocking viewers (Digital Unite, 2017). While on the other hand, viewers have the option to search YouTube freely for videos of interests and regularly interact with the creators by commenting on videos, or simply, become part of a social network by following the creator or channels (Digital Unite, 2017). YouTube also allows viewers to share content through hyperlinks and embedding content into other realms of social media (Burgess and Green, 2013, p. 1). It also provides viewers with a window into the world and other cultures, new forms of entertainment and news as well as access to vast amounts of information.
Upon reflection, it can be said that the 90s were a pivotal time in history whereby the world was embracing digital technology and finding its feet in relation to the worldwide web. And that a broadcast culture still largely remained until the late 1990s. However, the development of social media and the platform YouTube in the Twenty-First Century revolutionized the way we view and share visual content by transforming many broadcast cultures to participatory ones.Ā
On a more personal note, and as a viewer, I have come to like YouTube very much, and in many ways, it has provided one with the ability to research and learn vast amounts of information as to gain a better understanding of the world around me.
Bignell, J 2012, An introduction to television studies, Routledge, New York: NY.
Burgess, J., and Green, J 2012, YouTube: Online video and participatory culture, Polity press, United States America.
Crick, M 2016, Power, surveillance, and culture in YouTubeā¢ās digital sphere, IGI Global, United States.
Digital Unite 2017, what is YouTube?, digitalunite.com, viewed 24 January 2017, <https://www.digitalunite.com/guides/tv-video/what-youtube>
Eastman, S.T., and Ferguson, D.A 2012, Media programming: Strategies and practices, Cengage Learning, Boston: United States America.
Oana 2015, Retro ad campaigns for social networking platforms: YouTube [Image], Top design Mag, viewed 2 December 2016, <http://www.topdesignmag.com/retro-ad-campaigns-for-social-networking-platforms/>. Ā
Mateo, S 2006, Clip culture, The economist, 27 April, viewed 24 January 2017, <http://www.economist.com/node/6863616>.
