Storm

Everyone probably has the occasional deepdive into Youtube; you start with clicking on a video about cute dogs and end up watching someone blow-drying his tongue and eating a cracker (or something in that range). While these experiences can be strange or disturbing, Youtube can also produce a lot of funny, beautiful and interesting content. Every minute, 300 hours of video are uploaded on Youtube. So it goes without saying that it is impossible to watch everything that is on there in one lifetime. Fortunately, I don’t think you would want to see everything that is posted on the platform, For example, a guy counting to 100,000 in a 23 hour video is not something worth watching in my opinion. But overall, Youtube has enriched my life and I think it could do the same for everyone else.

Since a couple of years, Youtube has been my primary social media platform. I think I even spend more time on Youtube than on Netflix. It is difficult to explain why Youtube is so much fun because it is so varied. The videos I watch range from someone cutting soap for her dog wearing a turtleneck (i.e. Jenna Marbles) to a video explaining why you always seem to have room for dessert (i.e. Vox). In case you are interested, a few of my favourite Youtubers (aside from the other ones I mention in this blog) are: Simone Giertz, Nerdwriter, Elle Mills, Dan Mace and Robin Sealark. Youtube has it all, from topics like relationships, art, and movies to climate change, history, and many more. Some videos are not really about anything particular while others can be well researched analysis of a certain topic. There is also a great diversity in the types of Youtubers. While the biggest Youtuber might be a straight white guy (Pewdiepie), Youtube is also a place where people of colour, the LGBT+ community and other minorities can become immensely popular. It is not like the prejudices of the real world do not exist but they do seem somehow less prominent. Youtubers proof time and again that anyone can become famous on the platform regardless of who you are in the real world. 

Youtube also has its shortcomings. The monetization of videos is not always going perfectly, copyright issues make it difficult for creators to feature any music or film fragments in there videos, and people like Logan and Jake Paul continue to exist on there. However, I do advise everyone to look beyond that and explore the amazing stuff that is on there.