In 2005, three former PayPal employees launched YouTube, an online website that allowed users to share videos with others. Their goal was to allow everyone to share home videos without the need for professional quality that is found on television. Still, the website found meteoric success; in just one year, there was a total of over 25 million views on videos across the site per day. However, this growth also created problems for the small team working on the site. With more companies finding copyrighted material being posted on the site and more money needed to be allocated for potential litigations, the team decided to find someone who would be willing to buy out the company. Finally, Google bought the site in November 2006 for over $1.65 billion Although the site was initially made for people to share home videos, over time, creators found massive success on the site, and many celebrities, as well as media corporations, publish videos on YouTube. Through advertisements, creators can earn revenue, and this system has pushed many to pursue a career on the site, which in turn has spawned huge amounts of viewers. As of 2019, over 500 hours of content were uploaded to the site every minute, and the company earns $15 billion every year in revenue. Today, the popularity of the site rivals that of traditional television and streaming services because of its easy access, free content, huge amounts of varied content, and because anyone can publish videos. However, some countries have blocked access to the site. Most notably, China, North Korea, and Pakistan blocked YouTube to prevent access to content that criticizes government or religion.
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/01/16/the-future-of-media-buying-youtube-versus-traditional-tv/#795f9dc82675
I like how your article is both concise and informative. It's really interesting how YouTube has become such an influential platform that countries have banned it. Upon further research, I found that the co-founders began the creation of YouTube as a new kind of dating site. However, this idea initially got them few followers. They later took down the ads that offered women $20 to upload dating videos. Followers of YouTube took it upon themselves to expand the site by posting videos of their lives, so the co-founders transformed the site to a free video-sharing platform.
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This is a really well written post! I think it is interesting how YouTube has grown into such a large platform such that it has created its own sector of major celebrities. Now, there is even a convention for YouTube celebrities to collaborate with each other and with their fans known as Playlist Live. This event, held every year since 2010, and provides fans, especially teenagers, with a way to connect with their favorite content creators. As a result of opportunities like Playlist Live for YouTubers to do so, these celebrities have become even more esteemed than traditional celebrities for the younger generations.
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