An Anthropological View at YouTube

This video was amazing. When you begin the video, you see this man standing in front of the Library of Congress backdrop and think "This is going to be boring", but it is quite profound. I have never thought of YouTube in this way before, as a community. Whenever I think of YouTube, I think of the funny videos that everyone shows me and that they watch to add some laughter to their day. I didn't realize that people use this forum as a way to express themselves and to find themselves.

I was quite impressed that a University would undertake a project to find the reason behind why people use YouTube. I'm glad that they did. It shows that people can really be lonely individuals who want to have a sense of community in their lives. This is a place where you can say what you want and you can be yourself. It is a way to express yourself, and then see what others see when they look at you. There is drama like there is in every community, but it is still a safe environment. Depending on where you live, some communities don't seem like communities, you don't feel like you are a part of something. YouTube gives this to people. I only wish that I had this knowledge when I was teaching my grade 3s about communities, what a profound insight for these little ones to have, to think of something online as a community. It would definitely bring out the importance of technical literacy and being yourself.

Copyright: Janfilip