In recognition of YouTube's 5-year anniversary, Time Magazine has compiled a list of what they're calling "the site's 50 greatest hits." The videos acknowledged have some of the highest views of any videos posted on the website and have received mass attention from the public. Some of the videos listed are Charlie Bit My Finger, Dramatic Chipmunk, Sneezing Panda, Susan Boyle's Debut, and many other random phenomenons that have swept the Internet. Although these videos are entertaining and memorable, there seems to be a lack of public awareness of what else is happening on YouTube. A lot of people use YouTube for random reasons like to look up a video a friend told them about, or to find a story going on in the news. What many people don't know is that there is an entire community of YouTube personalities or "You Tubers" that are well known and can be considered celebrities in this underground YouTube world. For example, Ryan Higa, also known as Nigahiga, bears the title of being the most subscribed You Tuber of all time with over 2,700,000 subscribers. That means almost 3 million people from all over the world, including myself, sign onto YouTube every week to watch this 20 something year old's sketch comedy videos. Why? Well, because he's really funny and entertaining. It's more interactive than watching television because people can post comments, send it to friends, and make suggestions for the type of content they would like to see on his channel. Nigahiga isn't the only one. There are a bunch of other YouTube personalities who have attracted hundreds of thousands or millions of subscribers.
I myself am subscribed to 22 YouTube channels and in a way I feel like I am apart of a YouTube community, which got me thinking. Being a subscriber is just another way to express being a fan. In class, when we went over Todd Gitlin's Styles of Navigation, I labeled myself as an Ironist; someone who has media ”knowingness," who takes pride in having insider insight, yet still sits down to watch E News because its on. When I chose that title I was thinking about my television habits. I watch my fair share of TV but I definitely do not feel obligated to any programs, and if I miss a show I really like, I’ll live. When it come to YouTube however, I can definitely say that I am an active participate and full on fan, and out of the 22 channels I’m subscribed to I’m completely dedicated to 5. Gitlin states that there are different forms of fandom and some are stronger than others. If I saw one of my favorite YouTube stars on the street, I would totally get really excited and probably ask them to take a picture with me. I’m no YouTube super fan teenybopper, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of the content I watch and make a conscious effort to watch the new videos posted every couple of days.
The amount of subscriptions on YouTube increases every week and is becoming more popular. More and more people are using YouTube to supplement their old media habits for entertainment, which makes me wonder about the future of entertainment. YouTube is a place where everyday people can broadcast themselves to the world, and if they’re content is good enough, they will be recognized by the viewers. In my opinion, YouTube is more democratic compared to traditional media and allows people to decide for themselves what they want to watch.
