Communication Industries in 21st Century: YouTube - Essay Example

Communication Industries in 21st Century: YouTube

Introduction

Remarkably, the contemporary communication industries face numerous opportunities and challenges in the 21st century. Nonetheless, several organizations and individuals have negotiated the challenges and possibilities in a creative manner. For instance, YouTube is one of the organizations whose way of dealing with the challenges and opportunities the communication industries have faced is notable. YouTube is a website, purchased by Google in the year 2006 at a cost of 1.65 billion US dollars. Since then, YouTube has remained under the ownership of Google (Castaldo 2015, p.26). Established in 2005 the website has been remarkable in allowing people to watch, discover, and share original videos. YouTube is a platform for connecting, sharing information, and inspirations all over the world. Content creators share their unique ideas through this platform. Also, YouTube serves as an advertisement platform (YouTube 2016, p.1). The essay discusses YouTube as an organization in the form of a website that has positively used creativity in the negotiation of the opportunities and challenges that the communication industries have faced in the twenty-first century.

YouTube in promoting creativity

Since its establishment, YouTube has been a remarkable tool in promotion creativity. Creativity refers to turning new imaginative ideas into reality. YouTube has achieved this by allowing its users to share their creative contents on the website at no cost. The number of views, which it will attain, estimates the quality of original content shared on the site. Apparently, YouTube ranks the content uploaded to it according to the amount of time in which people spend in watching it. It means that the most creative videos rank highly than those having little creativity. However, the ability of the website in promoting creativity can be observed in the way it does not have restrictions on the type of video shared as long as it adheres to its terms and conditions. Evidently, YouTube has achieved promotion of creativity by increasing the viewers’ interactivity to the uploaded creative contents. Viewers are hooked to particular content, encouraged to subscribe and guided through new materials in the website (Heath, 2013, p.1). YouTube protects the copyright of contents from users who have protected their material ensuring that other people do not use material that does not belong to them without their permission. In motivating people to share their creative works, YouTube shares the profit generated from the ads that the contents will attract with the creator of the content. YouTube ensures that an original content uploaded by one of its users is protected by providing the copyright holders with a technology that assist them in registering their contents with the aim of allowing them to identify and control their contents’ usage. It will prevent the duplication of content by a third party. Additionally, the third party will be restricted from earning from the content. A more creative content is likely to attract more profit, which encourages users to improve their creativity in the materials they upload. Other than benefiting from the contents, the creative creators benefit from gaining numerous followers and subscribers who in turn gives them the recognition as stars on YouTube. Additionally, YouTube provides creative people with the chance of signing up with companies, which would be involved in supporting their video’s production (YouTubeStudyClub 2015, p.1).

Opportunities

YouTube has responded to the chances of communication in the 21st century in a creative manner. Some of the possibilities that communication has had in this century encompass the increase in social participation, growth in knowledge acquisition, flexibility in both the spatial and geographical boundaries, and advanced technology (Steeves &Silva, 2016, p.2).

Creative response to increased social participation

Notably, YouTube has creatively responded to the social participation characterizing communication in the twenty-first century. Through YouTube, people can socialize globally, an act that illustrates the way YouTube has creatively responded to social engagement. For example, people can follow legislative session globally through live streams (Baig 2013, p.1). Additionally, YouTube allows people to follow other events such as football games live as the events take place thus increasing social participation. Consequently, YouTube promotes social participation through its platform by encouraging people to be active its site. It maintains the participatory culture of the twenty-first century by allowing for social participation through expressing themselves, collaborating, discussing as well as learning from each other. Additionally, users can participate socially through creating, watching, sharing and commenting on contents that have been shared on the platform. Anyone who uses the internet has an equal chance of registering and uploading video materials as well as other social activities that are allowed on YouTube. YouTube is a channel for expression (Mueller 2014, p.10). Evidently, YouTube is responding to the increased social participation of the twenty-first century’s communication by providing its users with numerous ways in which they can interact.

Creative response to knowledge acquisition

The twenty-first century characterized by increased acquisition of information through education requires a forum in which people can exchange and learn new ideas. YouTube has responded to this issue by promoting knowledge acquisition. Over YouTube, it is possible to get many video contents that are useful in gaining knowledge of a wide range of subjects. For example, a person who wishes to learn about computer programming will only be required to search for the relevant contents, which will present him or her with a comprehensive solution to the problem. Additionally, we can learn new things some of which we did not require searching to acquire them. Consequently, YouTube is one of the most useful tools in the facilitation of learning especially in the twenty-first. It has been marked by a substantial amount of technological advancement. Apparently, learning facilitators are using this tool in promoting the understanding and interest of their students. They can achieve this because YouTube provides them with an audio and visual forum and it is readily available to the students (Tang & Logonnathan 2015, p.281).The education obtained from the internet is in the form of entertainment. In some of the education platforms on YouTube, users are required to subscribe to receive learning sessions at a certain specified period. Learners have the chance of revisiting past lessons. YouTube classes are by far large than the standard classes which indicate its effectiveness in the promotion of education and acquisition of knowledge. Due to the increased amount of educational contents on the website, a channel specifically designed for education referred to as YouTube EDU has been created to hold a compilation of the learning materials (Hua 2015, p.1). Evidently, YouTube has creatively responded to increased knowledge acquisition of the twenty-first century by enabling people to gain knowledge more efficiently and conveniently.

Creative response to flexibility in boundaries

Communication in the twenty-first century goes beyond boundaries. That is, an individual can communicate to people who are continents away with the assistance of the advanced technology. YouTube has responded creatively to this characteristic of communication. Apparently, content shared over YouTube is accessed globally with restrictions to certain boundaries.

Creative response to improved technologies

Advanced technology is a defining characteristic of the communication of the twenty-first century. Today, communication is rarely done through the traditional methods such as sending of letters but is done through modern forms of communication such as over the internet. YouTube has taken advantage of these characteristics of communication in increasing its accessibility among the people. Communication is done through devices such as mobile phones with or without the internet access. YouTube combines these products with the improved technology, the internet, and devices, such that its users can access it.

Challenges

The communication industries face many challenges in the twenty-first century. In most of these difficulties, YouTube has responded in a creative way. Some of these tasks faced by communication include social and cultural changes among others (Steeves & Silva, 2016, p.3).

Creative response towards social and cultural change

The social and culture characteristics of communication have notably changed in the twenty-first century. Largely, YouTube has contributed to the improved social and cultural aspects. Unlike in the past where people interacted face-to-face, today, people communicate virtually via YouTube from different locations. The social interaction has expanded to incorporate global interaction. Mostly, youths have experienced a remarkable social and culture change impact from YouTube (Dunkels 2010, p.154). YouTube exposes people to different social and cultural diversities. People from dissimilar cultural backgrounds and societies can interact which portrays an aspect of globalization. The capability of YouTube to provide the audience with visual and audio content leads to learning and sharing of other cultural practices. Whereas people in the past could spend most of their time interacting and doing other social activities, today people spend most of their time online trying to view contents uploaded to YouTube. Being a social media, YouTube is responsible for generating the mainstream culture. Additionally, the platforms furthered the creation of virtual relationships, which is something that did not exist before the internet. The socio-cultural norms have considerably changed. YouTube has contributed to the creation of the participatory culture, which is a characteristic of the twenty-first century. It is where different people are involved in creating and producing contents. Seemingly, YouTube has tackled the problem of the social and cultural diversity effectively.

Using YouTube in responding creatively to the opportunities and challenges of communication

In response to the possibilities and difficulties associated with communication in the twenty-first century, it is important to promote the contents uploaded on YouTube. First, it is important to make the contents uploaded readily available. The author of the content uses a captivating title and makes a strong emphasis on why the content is of benefit. Secondly, the content needs to be described. Most viewers will not only be attracted to the title but also the description. The explanation should entail a solution that the viewers will be looking for. The description should be clear and entertaining. Thirdly, the video contents uploaded on YouTube should be short. Studies show that as the length of the video increases, the number of its viewer’s declines. Before uploading a long video, it is advisable to edit it before uploading to ensure it is considerably short. Additionally, the long video can be segmented into portions, which will then be uploaded individually on YouTube. Nonetheless, the length of the video depends on the type of the content. An education video can be long whereas a general video should be approximately two minutes in length. Fourthly, the page layout should be set appropriately. It involves using the player view. Besides, the grid view can be used although not recommendable. The video should be set such that it should play automatically. It will be followed by the creation of a playlist of the conventional video uploaded. The playlist requires regular updating depending on the changing preferences of the viewers. Fifth, by obtaining a custom channel the user has a unique user name. It will be useful since it serves in representing the message contained in the video better and adds professionalism to the videos uploaded. Sixth, the channel should be annotated. Its aim is to drive people to the particular channel. Seventh, the channel should be promoted, this involves improving the contents over the other social media forums such as Twitter among others. Occasionally, one of the uploaded videos should be posted on the social media account to remind people of the video on YouTube. Finally, boosting the uploaded YouTube videos using Google+ is imperative (Sansevieri 2012, p.1). Clearly, when the contents on the YouTube are uploaded as described, then, it will be possible for YouTube to respond to the opportunities and challenges that communications industries have faced in the twenty-first century.

Conclusion

Evidently, YouTube has used creativity in response to opportunities and challenges that the communication industries have faced in the twenty-first century. These opportunities include increased social participation, improved technologies, increased urge for education and flexibility in boundaries. YouTube promotes creativity among the people by providing them with a platform to exercise their talents and pay the royalties depending on the number of followers, which motivates them to keep developing their skills. The social and cultural change is one of the factors in which scholars agree to be a challenge for the communication industries of the current century. However, YouTube has managed to overcome this barrier by creating an online environment where the different cultures can share.

Reference list

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Dunkels, E. 2010, Youth Culture and Net Culture: Online Social Practices: Online Social Practices, IGI Global.

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Sansvieri, P. C 2012, Six Simple Ways to Promote Your YouTube Channel, Huffington Post, 8 January, Web, 19 May 2016, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/penny-c-sansevieri/youtube-marketing-_b_1081041.html

Steeves, L., & Silva, K 2016, Communication in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges and Opportunities, EOLSS, Web, 19 May 2016, http://www.eolss.net/sample-chapters/c04/e6-33-04-04.pdf

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