The YOUsefulness of YOUtube

It is quite likely that someone who says that they do not use youtube on an almost daily basis is lying. Youtube has definitely become one of the greatest inventions of the Internet in a relatively short amount of time. In my opinion, it is also one of the most accessible websites on the entire Web. Most new technology products manufactured these days come with youtube applications. Many cell phones even come with them. I do question why Apple is so supportive of youtube, with apps on ipods, iphones and ipads, since youtube seems to be making iTunes, one of Apple’s most successful products, nearly obsolete. As has been proven in earlier posts, many people these days simply do not use iTunes anymore, but instead employ youtube for almost all of their music needs. Youtube, at one point, was also contributing to the decline of live television viewing. One used to be able to watch full episodes of television shows, usually in a couple of parts, whenever they wanted on youtube. It is now harder to find complete episodes of shows on youtube because youtube has cracked down on television copyrights. However, I will say that when this was still allowed this was what I, personally, used youtube the most for. I liked it better than going to the network website for a show because on youtube there were no commercial breaks, whereas on a network website there are usually about five or six commercials. Since then, I have become more dependent on youtube for music, how-to videos, viral videos or other videos that have sparked public interest. I have also noticed that greater amounts of other websites often have links to youtube videos. This surprises me a bit because it directs people away from their website to youtube where one can find themselves watching videos or listening to music for hours.