YouTube Success Story: Justin Bieber

I think it's pretty safe to say that most of us have heard of teen pop sensation Justin Bieber. His face and trademark hair are everywhere, from countless magazine covers to television programs, and his catchy (often annoying) tunes are heard on every popular radio station throughout the country. He is possibly one of the most well-known people in the U.S. (and the world for that matter) right now. But if we go back to 2008, we all would be saying Justin who? How did Justin Bieber skyrocket to superstar fame in just three short years? The answer: YouTube. Three years ago, Justin was performing at a local theater in his native Canada and posting amateur videos of him singing on YouTube. One day, talent manager, Scooter Braun happened to stumble across one of Justin's videos, and the rest is history. Fastforward one year and Justin was releasing his first debut album which preceded to shoot him to instant success on the Billboard charts.

It is truly fascinating to see how a website can catapult a virtual nobody to one of the biggest pop stars in the world in such a short period of time. Thanks to this revolutionary form of new new media, tons of artists, actors, comedians, and anyone else looking to "broadcast" their talents are being discovered. This kind of platform not only provides entertainment for public viewing audiences that can watch these videos, but also acts a means to level the playing field for the average person looking to make it big. As proven through the case of Justin Bieber, one no longer needs to attend the best, most expensive performing schools or have connections to bigwig executives to get noticed. All it takes is the courage to put yourself out in the public eye, a hint of individuality and creativity, and a little bit of luck (actual talent doesn't hurt either) to become famous.

YouToo?

While of course there are hours....actually probably years and years...worth of pointless and poor quality YouTube videos, there are also a multitude of fun, fascinating, and fresh videos worthy of praise.  One thing I very much admire about YouTube is the opportunity it provides people who might have otherwise gone undiscovered.  Granted, some discover fame while others find infamy.  While there are some YouTube phenomenon who experience their fifteen minutes of fame, there are also those who are launched to stardom and turn into house hold names.  This is rare, but because of YouTube, some people have reached levels of fame they may have never imagined.  This includes but is not limited to singers, actors, comedians, magicians, filmmakers and athletes.

Aside from this, YouTube is useful in many other ways.  Certain tasks I am unsure of I can simply YouTube and view a demonstration by a skilled individual.  For example, one can look up how to fix certain items or devices and rather than read complicated and obscure instructions, he or she can watch an actual example on YouTube. While it is not necessarily a necessity, tools like this have made certain tasks much easier and understandable due to the accessibility of YouTube.

Furthermore, YouTube is obviously a great website for hours of entertainment.  Any music video or funny clip you want to watch is right at your fingertips, as well as videos you never even thought you'd discover.  You can watch movie trailers and sports highlights as well as people falling or playing pranks.  One thing I find very inspiring about YouTube is the creativity it spawns.  People have formed this odd fascination with creating videos to post on YouTube and often times truly amazing clips are produced.  Unfortunately, the most viewed YouTube clips are typically humorous and silly in nature.  However, there are also awe-inspiring and impressively talented individuals who are able to share their work with the world without having to be discovered by a talent agent.  This is a truly amazing opportunity that I believe overshadows the perhaps "negative" aspects of YouTube which include illegal music downloads (through other sites) and watching shows or movies online.

While television shows and movies can be a timely commitment, a person and appreciate the joys of YouTube in mere minutes.  People can send their favorite videos to their friends so everyone can enjoy the clip together.  Its fascinating to see the videos people come up with, and it is amazing that anyone with a computer has the ability to experience these clips.