Of all the online services people are using to pass the time or just get through isolation without losing their minds, I think @YouTube is the best positioned to change how the world thinks about on-demand entertainment.
1/
1/
Right now, it's just about the only place where new content is being created DAILY. Some of it coming in at a higher level of quality and thought than most of what we've seen come from studios and networks over the past few decades.
2/
2/
Original content, produced on a shoestring by clever and innovative people, cover every conceivable topic, is available by the millions already, and millions more videos go up every single day. No subscriptions needed. Type in what you want, and it appears.
3/
3/
If studios and networks want to survive, they'll have to adapt this sort of thinking. And they can. With the resources they have, they can create truly original, culture-altering content for an eager audience, at a pace that would have been impossible before.
4/
4/
@Disney is catching on to this first, releasing "Onward" to pay-per-view and on demand before porting it over to Disney+ with head-spinning speed. People can't go to theaters right now? No problem. They have better screens and sound systems right in their homes.
5/
5/
Let's make it easy for them to give us money.
It's a new way to think about getting content to the consumer, but it isn't actually all that new. For decades, #YouTubers have been doing exactly this, going straight to digital and monetizing from there.
6/
It's a new way to think about getting content to the consumer, but it isn't actually all that new. For decades, #YouTubers have been doing exactly this, going straight to digital and monetizing from there.
6/
I'm not even talking about the news-oriented channels, which turn out to be far (far, far) more reliable and trustworthy than mainstream media. Though that, on its own, is pretty remarkable.
I'm mostly talking about entertainment and education.
7/
I'm mostly talking about entertainment and education.
7/
Pick a skill. Any skill. Type it into YouTube's @Google-built search engine, and start learning. Find a playlist. Follow a specific creator. Get multiple takes from thousands of people offering the same basic tutorial. Break it down from beginner to advanced.
8/
8/
YouTube University. This changes the game for education. Someone should create a certification program that lets you self-guide yourself through a general syllabus, and then test for certification at various stages. Doesn't matter where or how you learned it ...
9/
9/
It only matters THAT you learned it, and can demonstrate that you learned it. Pay for the certification testing as you take them, and education costs a lot less. No student loans necessary. Scholarships can come in the form of vouchers for certifications.
10/
10/
The point being, @YouTube is currently one of the few resources that seems not only custom-built for what's coming next, after COVID-19, it's uniquely positioned to be ground zero for a dramatic change to some major aspects of our global culture.
11/
11/
Content creators have never, ever (ever) been in a better position to not only make a living from their work but to actually influence the direction of human history.
12/fin
12/fin
@threadreaderapp unroll please.
