here's my robot...she's a little late!

YouTube

A couple random thoughts:

The big TV networks have been losing advertising dollars since the advent of cable channels. And when cable increased their channels to over 1000 to pick from, advertisers were forced to create more targeted marketing.

With the advent of the internet there are more ways to reach target markets than ever before. The interesting thing about YouTube is that it’s a search engine of sorts and so if an advertiser wanted to reach people that are interested in golf only, they can.

However, viewers will always find a way to ignore advertising if they are not interested. It used to be that people would mute the commercials. Now people TIVO right through them. With the internet, viewers tend to ignore banner ads if they aren’t interested. Soon, people will find a way to also bypass the pre-commercials on the internet as well.

The unique thing about the internet is that many of the sites were not started as money-makers. But people unfortunately will always try to capitalize on the genius of others. It’s a viscious cycle that will never end. First it was radio, then television, now the internet. And the internet is still so new still there is no telling where this consumption and greed will go.

From an entertainment level, the television tycoons used to have all the control. Now that control is spread through the masses. We as viewers used to be handed what would be popular. Now we’re making those decisions on our own. It’s a beautiful thing.

All this makes me think, did video really kill the radio star?!??!

YouTube vs. Boob Tube

YouTube certainly holds an incredible appeal to millions of viewers.  Videos can be posted by anyone on any number of subjects, handing over the creative reigns from network television to  we, the audience.  If a person has a fantastic idea for a television program but has no way of getting it on air, they can create it themselves and post it online for the world to watch and comment on.  It's no wonder that businesses like Google want to get in on the excitement (and profits).  With over 65,000 videos being uploaded each day, YouTube is flourishing.  Unlike regular television, there are no commercials, and the clips are relatively short.  This is instant entertainment, and in a fast-paced society that is only increasing in speed, this kind of short, instantaneous amusement is only going to gain popularity.  

Reading 3

YouTube offers a form of entertainment that isn’t available on TV. Since anyone can post, we have access to entertainment that probably would never be aired on TV, but is still interesting enough that people want to watch and discuss it. One thing advertisers need to work on is making their commercials way more entertaining, and they should actually take a cue from the most popular videos on YouTube. People are stressed these days, and I think the appeal of YouTube is that it can provide silly, lighthearted entertainment within a short clip. I am not surprised that the most popular Super Bowl commercial this year was the Doritos ad in which a man hurls a crystal ball into another man’s groin. It’s so ridiculous, but people enjoy a quick laugh, and something like that has the potential to be circulated via email getting more exposure. If I have to watch a commercial before a web video, I don’t mind something like that, but if it’s not good, I’ll close out of the video or check my email while it plays, because with the technology available now I shouldn’t have to suffer through a bad commercial.

The you tube is a virtual universe overflowing with streams of life in all forms. Information, ideas, humor, stupidity, cells combining, dividing, expanding, what will it evolve into? It's a new organism unlike any we've seen in the hands of the masses. An instrument of creativity. A political tool, a form of entertainment, a toy for the voyeur and the exhibitionist, a hunting ground for predators, a vehicle for twisted minds. It's the great equalizer where anyone can have their 15 minutes of fame. It's existence is like being able to pass notes in social studies class, to relieve the boredom and anxiety. Laughing behind the back of the one in charge of all the idiocy. Reclaiming one's thoughts and individuality. I can't help feeling like the teacher is aware and is about to confiscate the notes. There will be consequences. Somehow I can't imagine the comparative freedom that now exists lasting forever. As soon as someone sees there is profit to be made, the process of control will begin. Someone else's rules will apply. How it will change I cannot predict. I'd say most people have had enough of the advertiser's greed motivated manipulation. But it is a like a cancer that keeps coming back. Wherever there is new life, it seeks to devour it.

response 3

I remember being in junior high school and taking a trip to the Museum of Television and Radio. There, we basically had access to any television program ever produced. My friends and I thought this was the coolest museum ever! We were totally in control and had thousands and thousands of television shows, mini-series, and TV movies at our fingertips. Fifteen years later, YouTube is king. Within seconds, from the comfort and privacy of your own home, you can access anything at any time, free of charge.
YouTube affects our lives on a daily basis, in terms of how regularly and to what extent we interact with the internet. The site is also shaping our culture as a whole. People want to watch what their friends, family, co-workers and neighbors are watching, enjoying and taking about. And they want to be able to see this material IMMEDIATELY. I think that this sense of immediacy is a big part of YouTube's appeal.
YouTube is great- it gives a voice to a population of individuals who now have the freedom and venue to showcase their art and express themselves. However, I can’t say that everything posted on YouTube qualifies as art. And that’s okay too. While I go to YouTube on a fairly regular basis, I couldn’t help but laugh at Garfield’s comment: “Third millennium humanity has demonstrated an interest in sifting through millions of pieces of crap produced by total strangers to discover a few gems”. That kind of sums it up.

You Tube by Rachel Stepaniuk

I am not shocked by the obsession with You Tube. There are all kinds of people that are drawn to the opportunity to post something that they created, star in, or even both. I am close to someone who checks out You Tube quite often and knows all the good videos. I myself never browse on You Tube – I just can’t get into it. Although there have been a few creative things I’ve been shown. Actually, now that I think of it, I made a video with friends and we actually ended up posting it on You Tube. Ha! It was not my idea. With the reality TV craze, its no wonder that people love posting and watching on You Tube. Everyone wants his or her 15 minutes.

As far as advertising – it’s interesting. I have not thought about what will be invented to bridge the gap between dwindling TV and the rise of the Internet as far as advertising is concerned. All I know is it worries me.

Clements: Week 3 Response

There are so many different outlets for personal expression in today's technologically "dependent" world...YouTube being just another venue for people who want to be "heard" or "noticed". Realistically, most of the videos on YouTube are of things very few people would ever care to intentionally watch. However, it still is entertaining. Even reading the article I was suckered into checking out the videos mentioned. I must say the "Evolution of Dance" video was pretty hilarious. On the other hand the video of the collegiate sports reporter just made me want to cry and put the poor sap out of his misery.

So is it valid for corporations to spend millions or billions to "get in on the gig"? Based on the amount of users, one could certainly make a logical argument that millions of viewers that may not be spending time in front of the television could be bombarded with advertisements. I think it's inevitable. Whenever a product or means of communication becomes popular, companies will follow closely behind and shell out the big bucks to jump on the bandwagon.

YouTube-ing

YouTube…I have to admit that I have seen some of the funniest things on YouTube. People want to “broadcast yourself” because they want to be seen and hear, just like the celebrities. YouTube provides people with their fifteen minutes of fame. Its not necessarily the money that comes with fame, rather its about being popular and being the top gossip of the day. For some people who post on Youtube, and other internet website like Facebook and myspace, they might be socially awkward and these internet sites have given them a chance to create an identity they want people to see and relate to. However, it is free for anyone to use and content that most people do not wish to see, is accessible. For corporations like Google to invest in something so popular also risk chances of running into trouble. Especially with YouTube, there isn’t any one-person controlling what is being filtered on these sites. It is being broadcasted by millions and millions of individuals who want to be seen. And once again, I have to admit; I have even contributed to broadcasting myself in a mindless video while sitting in my dorm room. Perhaps I could even call it art. The art of being me.

BOOB TUBE ARTICLE

It seems inevitable that online advertising will become more and more pervasive as time goes on and I'm willing to bet they will find ways around all of the problems outlined in the article. I do not have cable and hardly ever watch TV but I am sure I see as many ads and commercials when I go online for ten minutes as I would in a good two hours of TV watching. They are just as annoying online, but the ads are easier to bypass and ignore than when they are on TV.
I feel that since ads are literally everywhere now, I have just become immune to them almost. I see them but I don't really look at them. I could see five ads as banners or pop-ups online in minutes and not be able to remember a single one two seconds later. I understand why advertisers are worried as entire forms of mass communication are being rendered nearly obsolete (anytime I want to watch a TV show I do so online), but this type of saturation may lead to a collective turning off of consumers to advertising. Commercials before movies are bad enough, so I hope companies will reconsider their approach and back off a bit.
As far as youtube goes, it is unbelievable how much everyone, myself included, enjoys wasting time watching the most idiotic video clips. I do feel that if they began charging people to post videos they would be out of business so to speak. I do admire the sort of democratic quality that youtube has; ayone's input is just as welcome as anyone else's.

You Tube

I don't usually view YouTube, but after watching the video clips something strange happened. I became an addict. At first after watching "Boom goes the Dynamite" I was pretty horrified by this students presentation of the news, but then I saw the "History of Dance" clip and thought it was hilarious. I think videos such as these are good and bad. I think they are good because they allow another form of expression to the world. However, the instantaneous aspects of the media cause amazing improvisational pieces, as well as videos which should have been left out during editing. I work with ceramics and I have viewed a few really educational videos about technique. However I have also seen some pretty weird/gross videos on YouTube. Overall I think any media, video or other, if used in an inappropriate way does not speak with good intention. YouTube just makes the intention whether good or bad more instantaneous to viewers.

BULB•BOT

you tube vs boob tube

I don't feel there is really a big problem with the fact that you tube and other broadcasting websites are growing more and more each day. It brings a community of people to share things with each other, laugh, and broadcast themselves for the world to see. The only people who really don't benefit from this I believe is the advertising industry. Since youtube and the internet, more and more people are online browsing and looking at free advertisements online. Advertisers are losing money, and really don't have a way to advertise on places like youtube unless its on a sidebar somewhere. Most of the time, people are so flooded with advertisements on a daily basis that they become numb to it. I for one don't look at any of the advertisements I see on youtube, myspace, or anywhere else. I just ignore it. Eventually these internet things will be overcome by another type of advertising. Youtube already is in competition with other video sites like google, hulu, and one that MSN just created. Honestly, if you think about it, is this hurting anyone? Or just the big businesses?

HW

I think that you -tube is the new replacement for television but it has only been a recent realization. Now, technology makes our world small and personalized. I think that the personalization of websites, you- tube videos, and peer sites are all places where people can be creative in our new commercialized world. You- tube in particle is a great creative, recreational, and educational resource. No longer do we live in a world when one object is allowed the luxury of a single function with fixed mobility. The computer is a T.V., radio, calculator, etc. like the microwave cooks food and is a clock/ calendar. In my opinion, I do not think that technology and advancement is an issue as long as we as a society take care and effort to preserve the old.

youtube vs. boob tube

I have not had a television in years, and cannot say that I miss it or need it. I visited family over the holidays and watched TV briefly. I have much less patience for commercials than I did before internet TV. Advertisements are much shorter when placed during shows on the internet such as abc.com. Some ads are even interactive to allure the viewer; however, internet advertising is much easier to ignore.

What I find most interesting is the advertising on facebook that caters to the individual depending on the information in the user’s profile. I have very little information in my profile, but I have ads popping up with new album and concert information about the bands that I have listed. I have never clicked on the advertisements, but I am curious to find out if they have been successful. Facebook also pairs advertisements with relevant social actions from a user's friends to create "Social Ads", but the user has the ability to opt out.

Not only has youtube provided some good entertainment for my former coworkers and me while working in an office, it has also been useful for art education purposes. I watched several Manga instructional videos when I was student teaching for a cartooning class last Fall. I have also used it for quick troubleshooting when using design applications. Youtube is a great way to show short video clips when presenting a lesson to students, without dealing with a gigantic television and VHS/DVD player on wheels.

My personal favorite youtube video is Sneezing Panda.

You Tube vs, Boob Tube

The “You Tube vs. Boob Tube” was an interesting article. Even though Google bought you tube, they still have trouble controlling what is being uploaded daily. I could see how you tube could be the next generation of advertising. Before reading the article, I had a third grade student talk about what they were watching on you tube. I was semi shock about how a third grader knew about you tube. Now a days the younger generations, I feel is very depended on electronics. When I was in the third grade, I remember playing in the park and that’s about it. You tube is another way of get well known on the internet, and there are actually people earning money from doing short sitcoms on you tube. I think that if you tube was not started; people would not depend on it as much to watch anime, shows, even movies. You tube is an easy way to look for videos that no one may think of, for example “Charlie Bite my Finger”, a parent videotaping her two boys eating or just sitting in the sofa. So basically anything could be uploaded and Google is finding ways to earn money from advertisement, and trying to control what is being uploaded.

growing up online...belated

I thought this video was pretty interesting, and had a well-rounded variety of stories related to the internet and its affects on kids.  I have to be honest and say that the PTO mother really annoyed me.  The internet and the extent to which kids use it can be a scary thing, but I really don't think you can control it in the way she was trying to.  And I think she ended up alienating her son more than she protected him.  I'm not a parent, so I know I don't know what it feels like, but I hope that when I do have kids I realize that letting go and letting them find their own way is just as important as protecting them.  

It's hard to stand my ground on this point when it comes to the cyber bullying stories later in the film.  The boy who killed himself had loving parents and a couple of good friends, it doesn't seem like that should have happened to him.  And I would have to agree with his father (from what the video showed) that the internet probably escalated the feelings and events that led to his death.  How do you watch that and not want to protect your kid or your students from the internet?  

But in the end, the internet is a powerful part of everyday life for these kids and you can't just cut it out or block it.  It has definitely changed the world we live in and that means new generations will have different childhoods than we did.  That might be scary, but it's unavoidable.  I think we just need to do our best to handle it with a little bit of grace.  i.e. not like the crazed PTO mom :)

Reading 3

I’ve always found fascinating our obsession with YouTube. To a degree, I have always believed that it is almost a voyeuristic type of website, with the kind of videos one can find in there. Although that does sound negative in its connotation, its not meant to be. There is something interesting about watching some of these videos. It makes one feel as if you’re reading their diary, and all of their most personal thoughts and feelings were unknowingly on display. Then again, most if not all of the people who post videos of themselves wish to be seen, and to be acknowledged. They are allowing us to see a piece of who they are, and one of the many masks they wear. YouTube is addictive, and seductive. I can’t say I’ve met anyone who hasn’t seen it or used it for some reason or another. My kindergarten students were talking about a video they saw on YouTube only last week. It’s amazing how quickly children learn about these things. But that is beside the point.
The advertising world is in for some trouble, I believe. Now that people blog and view videos more online than on television, and when they watch television commercials are easily avoided by the miracle that is DVR, it is uncertain how they will deal with getting people to actually sit down and view these 1 or 2 minute promotional clips that cost millions of dollars. It seems to be an issue that is complicating itself with every passing day. Eventually, I feel, commercials might have to become even more complex and expensive, if only to make them interesting enough to get people to sit through them.

Reading #3

I was not aware of the cosmic shift that the TV advertising world was enduring. A few times as I fast forwarded through the commercials on my DVR recordings I thought, "I wonder what they are going to do when everyone has DVR and goes through these commercials?" The pressure Tivo puts on the advertising industry is probably also to blame in this situation. As consumers of mass media we want it now, livestreamed and without commercial interruption. I can't tell you how often I've cringed through the 10 second commercial clips that some other websites put before their videos. I think these advertising clips are so unbearable because I was introduced to online video clips via YouTube. Also there is a level of control you lose when you are literally stuck there watching these clips, unable to fast forward through them. Not being able to control the fast forwarding on video clips is tough, but I get through the day.
It is also extremely eerie how quickly I've personally adapted to all of this. I got DVR about a year ago and I feel helpless when I forget to schedule my Top Chef recordings. I got a cell phone when I was 18, already away at college. I feel panicked when I forget my phone like I am going to miss something important. I get home and I have a missed call and two texts of, "hey what's up?" We pine for technology these days and it is interesting to see the shift the rest of the world must make in order to keep up with it all. Do you ever get the feeling that you are always behind in all of this?