It's really amusing to see journalists write articles about something on YouTube. It very clearly shows that many journalists live in a filter bubble, and that they have this idea about YouTube that is not even close to reality. And they sound really surprised by it.
Here is the thing. YouTube is not defined by conspiracy sites, flat-earthers, political commentators, hate mongers, or other channels doing bad things. Sure, those also exist, but they represent such a tiny part of YouTube overall.
YouTube is also not defined by the biggest channels, like PewDiePie or others. Yes, they are there too, and yes, they are big ... but they are still tiny compared to YouTube's overall volume. For instance, each of PewDiePie's videos are only seen by about 0.1% of YouTube
What actually defines YouTube is the very long tail of thousands of smaller channels, each doing something they love, filming it, and then sharing it with people with similar interests.
Like this one:
Like this one:
Or this:
...or this:
...or this:
...or this:
...or this:
..or this:
...or this:
The list never ends.
...or this:
...or this:
...or this:
...or this:
..or this:
...or this:
The list never ends.
I also want you to realize how important YouTube is to a lot of people. Both in terms of being connecting to people, but also in terms of their life.
This is important because I see many journalists saying that "YouTube should be closed because it's bad".
This is important because I see many journalists saying that "YouTube should be closed because it's bad".
Here is a simple example of this: This YouTuber has a small but very nice 'Let's Play' channel. And here is why she makes it:
You see what I mean?
You see what I mean?
Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to defend YouTube. It has made many mistakes, and there are certainly elements on YouTube that need to be dealt with. Like everyone else, YouTube needs to do a much better job.
But, there is a difference between thinking that YouTube is all bad and should be closed, to understanding what YouTube is actually about.
We have the same problems in the media industry. You don't say: "All newspapers should be closed because look at what Fox News is doing".
We have the same problems in the media industry. You don't say: "All newspapers should be closed because look at what Fox News is doing".
Most of all, I want journalists to start dedicating time to look at this 'other side' of YouTube. You will realize so much about the world that we live in. Not just on YouTube, but in general.
Start with... I don't know... this one:
Start with... I don't know... this one:
BTW: I'm reminded by an old video with Hans Rosling. Back when he was still alive, he was invited into a Danish news broadcast, and here you very clearly see the difference between the journalistic mentality of the world, and the way Hans looked at it:
