The Video Voice

The state of online video lies in the hands of video- sharing website, YouTube.com. Online video has grown in popularity because it gives internet users the opportunity to express themselves creativity. It also gives users a voice and sense of individuality. Since any of the users can upload a video, home videos are the most popular online content. Kristen Purcell states that, “Seven in ten adult internet users (69%) have used the internet to watch or download video. That represents 52% of all adults in the United States.” These video sharing websites cover several categories that remain very popular among adult internet users. Some of these categories are humorous, educational, movies, TV shows, and political videos. All of these videos are enjoyed and watched by adult internet users with all different likes and interests. YouTube.com was created for everyday people which make the site so popular. It is even used to expose media to other media. Videos on video-sharing websites like YouTube are considered media and when viewers like certain video they usually share the video on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Video sharing sites allow your own creations to become brought to the public from just a home, web camera. Purcell explained that, “On the other side of the camera, video creation has now become a notable feature of online life.” Video-sharing sites have become so popular that users are combining their actual life with their online life. The separation between the two has been blurred. Even though the separation is blurred, viewers are watching more than ever before. Since we have been given the opportunity to broadcast ourselves, users and viewers are taking advantage. By people taking advantage of this fact, the state of online video is very stable and influential.