Youtube's Global Impact

Social media is an extremely important aspect of the current online environment and how individuals communicate with one another. Social media has largely transformed not only the mediums in which we communicate, but also the methods that we use to communicate with other individuals. While this is an obvious effect of the internet, there are many people who don’t realize the great effect that social media has had on the trend of globalization (Trottier & Fuchs, 2015). One of the biggest early—adopted social media platforms is YouTube, where users can upload, share, and comment on one another’s videos.

The following essay will examine three way sin which YouTube has had a global impact on society, explaining how this has affected different cultures around the globe. The first way in which YouTube has had such an effect is by offering a platform for individuals to share clips of what life is like in their own culture By sharing these clips, individuals can learn about different cultures by seeing videos of these cultures in a very honest depiction.

Traditional educational videos can be informative, but often show a very single dimension of the culture that does not represent the daily experiences of most people. YouTube has allowed users to inform and learn about other cultures in a more honest and representative way, The second way in which YouTube has affected society and impacted different cultures is by influencing different cultural trends. The best way to explain this concept is by offering an example.

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The video and song “Gangnam Style” by Korean artist Psy became an international hit that transcended cultural barriers and became extremely popular on several continents (Trottier & Fuchs, 2015). The popularity of this video globally caused it become a cultural icon in countless cultures. This video thereby directly influenced the culture of countless countries. In this way, YouTube provides a platform for videos to be easily shared and watched. Videos often go viral on YouTube, and the social media site’s ability to be accessed all around the world means that a video’s popularity is not limited to a single country. (Trottier 81 Fuchs, 2015)

As was the case with “Gangnam Style,” a YouTube video can become a large part of cultures all around the globe. The third and final way in which YouTube has had an impact on global society and influenced cultures around the globe is due to its educational potential, Millions of users of YouTube utilize the site as an educational tool, (Cantijoch, 2014). Some have accounts dedicated to posting educational videos on a variety of topics, while others use YouTube to access these videos and learn about everything from how to play guitar, to how to change a car battery. (Cantijoch, 2014). This influences cultures by educating people who would otherwise not have access to this information. in many countries, education is a scarce resource. YouTube provides meaningful education opportunities to individuals with an internet connection, collectively raising the knowledge of these people and influencing their daily lives.

When this happens on a large scale, the culture as a whole is changed. Conclusion Globalization is becoming more than an underlying trend in society. It is showing the future. As the internet and social media become more widespread, a globalized, internet-based culture is starting to emerge which encompasses influences from countless countries and people. YouTube, being one of the most popular and easily-navigable social media sites is at the forefront of this globalized culture. YouTube has affected the global society and influenced cultures on several continents by providing a method for sharing their perspective, for creating viral videos which transform into trans-continental cultural icons, and by being used.