Case Study 1: YouTube Ch 5

A case study of Chapter 5 from the book "YouTube" by Jean Burgess and Joshua Green

Diversity and Cultural Citizenship

Having diversity in our world is key for any product to do well in the industry. YouTube is one of few that as accomplished this. Allowing users from all over the world to post and share their own content. The article talks about how YouTube differs from other media platform by creating a “brand image based on universal accessibility, and ideologically embedded in a particularly US-centric ideology of free speech.” Giving anyone and everyone a platform to share content that can be seen from all different communities.

Cultural citizenship is the act of building a community and bonding with one another in it. Whether it involves commenting on peoples posts or people coming together to produce content. YouTube provides a space for individuals to represent their identities and perspective, communicate, and encounter cultural differences. Over thousand of people take advantage of this, getting the chance to learn and experience new things.

Globalization and Localism

YouTube has been globalizing itself ever since the start, but even more recently in 2008 reaching countries across the world. Giving users the option of selecting a localization menu that would provide customized content based on their geographical location. But if users wanted a more global search, they could choose the county version they wished to view. Also, giving people the ability to select whatever language they desire.

Localization was a very controversial topic when trying to expand YouTube. One of them being that people didn’t have the option of the country they want to watch from and another one being politics. It’s hard to accommodate everyone, but overall YouTube has done a fairly well job on globalizing itself.

YouTube as Cultural Archive

YouTube offers old music videos, forgotten TV commercials, clips from show that aren’t aired anymore, etc.… these all making it a source of cultural archive. With YouTube being so assessable and easy to use it is one of the main resources people go to watch, listen, or read the content they want. While an increasingly amount of people use it to reminisce historic videos, it has also evolved into a massive part of public archive.

With this being said YouTube’s take off has affected many organizations such as broadcasters and libraries. Resulting in the idea for them to work alongside with YouTube, benefiting them both. This though can lead to controversial problem’s about ownership, sustainability, and more. Overall, while YouTube does with hold significant public values as an “accidental” cultural archive, the debate of whether or not YouTube should take responsibility for archiving, preserving, and curating this archive as a public good has been brought to the attention of many.