The 21st century has seen many advances in technology. YouTube is one of those advancements. YouTube is a part of nearly everyone’s lives in 2016. People share and watch videos on a daily basis in every part of the world. Information can travel around the world in one second and it can instill emotion instantly. I believe that YouTube can become a source of media that can be utilized from both citizens of nations all across the world as well as already well-established news organizations.
This is already taking place to an extent. Groups such as CNN and MSNBC are already utilizing the millions of users of YouTube. They each have their own channels but there is not a huge need for these channels to exist. Each only have a few thousand subscribers, which seems like quite a few but in the grand scheme of things, this is actually quite a small number. There are so many videos on YouTube that are only for entertainment purposes. This is not a bad thing but these videos can and should be used to promote growth and change. By growth and change, I mean there should be a push for creativity. Companies can sponsor YouTube stars and ask them to give their company a shout-out in their video. The goal here is to create a new wave of consumers that are willing to buy the products that the company provides. I think this could go a step further.
I believe that news outlets could work with bigger YouTube stars to promote social change. This does create a new source of propaganda, but that does not mean it necessarily must be bad. Political ads run constantly during election season on television and there are occasional political ads on YouTube. This ad system could be utilized year round to promote creativity in young people by showing them ways that they can make a difference. I have never seen an ad that promotes a job opening or a new type of way to think about a situation. If a company were to run an ad campaign that involved giving the people watching the ad a chance to land a job by working on a project, this would not only create curiosity and a new wave of consumers, but it would also allow a new mind to bring ideas to the table. This newfound creative mind could be utilized to grow a company.
YouTube’s slogan “Broadcast Yourself” was started in 2011 and it was a way for YouTube’s administrators to show that anyone can make a difference and show the world what they have to say. This mindset should be picked up by companies across the globe. By promoting young people to broadcast their ideas, the company is helped by that person and that person is helped by the company because they would have a job opportunity. This could create a new media system that would be beneficial to all. The system is in place. Now, all that’s left to do, is utilize it.
