Youtube as a participatory culture

Questions for the article “Youtube”

1. How does the interaction online become the key for Youtube video production community? Please use the media convergence concept to explain it.

Interaction is the key component of Youtube because of the producer-consumer concept of media convergence. The producers make a video and then get views, ratings, and comments on the videos. As the publisher views his comments (making the original consumer a producer and the original producer a consumer), he or she can also reply to the comments. There also is (or at least used to be) an option to make a video response to a video, so that is another way for a consumer to become a producer. This cycle is continuous and is what connects all of Youtube together as one online community.

2. The article mentioned that the teens are mainly passively consumers of Youtube being on the periphery. But seven out of 10 most subscribed partners are teens and young adults. How do you explain this use of Youtube in youth?

For youth, Youtube is another alternative to television, just like how Netflix is now. The youth view Youtube videos out of their own entertainment, or to watch exclusive series that is produced by either a company or several videos produced by one Youtube star or partner. They may also fear arguments and cyberbulling for what they comment and/or publish.

3. How does Youtube use different techniques to create an online community that is different from other websites?

Youtube has different techniques that make it more different, and arguably more powerful, than other social media sites. On Facebook, you can only like, comment, and share, and friend request. On Twitter, you can only follow, re-tweet, and favorite. But on Youtube, you can do more. You can make and upload videos, like videos, add them to your favorites playlist, subscribe to Youtubers, post comments on videos and pages, add video responses to videos, rate videos, and share videos onto other social media platforms. Youtube arguably has more producer-consumer interaction than any other social media site.

4. What is the next step for Youtube development? Please use the concept of participatory culture and media development theory we discussed to explain your answer.

With so much participatory culture and many companies starting to actively use Youtube to promote their product, Youtube will have to continue to grow. The Youtube of 2006 was different than the Youtube of 2009, which was different than the Youtube of 2015, which will be different than the Youtube of 2020. The seeds of Youtube knowing what a specific person would want are already being planted. Now on Youtube, the website recommends channels and videos for you while still giving you your usual subscriptions and promoting their own choices of videos and channels. This is similar to the approach of Web 3.0, making technology more human-like. That is what will happen to Youtube in the future.