YouTube Case Study

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With the expansion of digitalization, popular trends emerged with media outlets, such as YouTube. Since surfacing in 2005, YouTube is one of the most visited websites behind Google and Facebook (Cayari, 2011). As Newkirk & Forker (2007) notes, it was voted “invention of the year in 2006” by Time magazine. YouTube is free to the public sphere to publish media with few regulations. This space contains media in the form of music, advertisements, videos, lectures, tutorials, and personal video blogs. People utilize YouTube for personal, professional, and educational purposes. As Benkler notes, these tools enable the public sphere and “relies on the information and cultural production activity of emerging nonmarket actors” (2006, p. 6). The rate of communication is outstanding as it “reaches more US adults ages 18-34 than any cable network” (YouTube, 2014). Part of the appeal is the limited regulations and the freedom of speech that is globally accessible. As Benkler states “social production is a fact, not a fad. It is a critical long term shift caused by the Internet” (2005). YouTube remains successful because it offers a platform to inspire, educate, and empower its users.
YouTube Background
According to the YouTube (2014) viewership statistics, more than one billion unique users visit monthly and 80% of the traffic comes from outside of the United States. Additionally, YouTube (2014) claims to be localized in in 61 countries and languages. YouTube is an example of the social phenomenon that Benkler (2005) discusses regarding free and open source software offering new opportunities through peer-to-peer networks. It offers a platform for people to be heard and connect with peers, organizations, and businesses.
Mergers, Econo...

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...oard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-444544-dt-content-rid-515130_2/courses/KEY_COM320/archive2013/com320_readings_Benkler_Chapter7.pdf
Benkler, Y. (2005) Yochai Benkler on the new open-source economics. TED lectures. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/yochai_benkler_on_the_new_open_source_economics.html
Cayari, C. (2011). The YouTube Effect: How YouTube Has Provided New Ways to Consume, Create, and Share Music. International Journal Of Education & The Arts, 12(6),
Newkirk, C. D., & Forker, T. A. (2007). Does YouTube's Bright Past Mean a Cloudy Future?. Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal, 19(1), 1-6.
YouTube. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/yt/press/statistics.html
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