When YouTube was born in 2005, its purpose was to create a site in which users could upload and view videos. Since then, it has become a place for displaying music videos, making online stars, watching workout videos, and more. Now, the platform has grown even further. YouTube launched an ad-free monthly subscription in October of 2015 called Red. They are now home to exclusive shows, similar the ones displayed on sites like Netflix and Hulu. You will have to pay to watch these shows for $9.99 a month, with a free one month trial.
YouTube has come a long way since it first hit the web. 10 years later, it is a site that is being used for way more than it originally set out to. Think about all the things you use YouTube for. You can search your favorite stand-up comedian and watch their stand-up shows. You can search a five minute yoga video to get your day started. You can look up a lyric version of your new favorite song to help you learn the words. You can watch tutorials that teach you how to play guitar or piano. You can watch replays of sports or your favorite TV episode that someone posted. You can make a video to promote an organization you’re apart of. The list goes on and on.
YouTube started the careers of numerous people. Take Justin Bieber, for example. YouTube helped him gain his popularity. Goofy YouTube stars like Miranda Sings, Jenna Marbles, and Nigahiga have acquired millions of views and fans just from uploading their funny videos.
Many magazines such as Cosmopolitan, TIME, GQ, Glamour, and Vogue have made YouTube channels for celebrity interviews, tutorials, fashion tips, travel vlogs and much more.
YouTube has certainly earned a prominent spot on the internet, being one of the most used websites on the web today (as ranked by multiple sources i.e. Huffington Post and Alexa.com). Users have grown accustomed to using YouTube for free videos. But, how will they feel about paying close to ten dollars monthly to access special shows. Will this be something they will catch on to? Frequent YouTubers can watch videos ad-free and watch exclusive shows for that cost. These features are a little different than Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu and are able to be used on YouTube for about a dollar more than these other sites. Who will stay loyal to Netflix or who will adapt new ways?
These new online developments raise questions about whether or not the internet will continue to dominate Hollywood, magazine companies, TV networks and other broadcasting and publishing outlets. After asking friends, I got a variety of mixed answers about if they would use this new YouTube feature. Some said heck no, some said most definitely, and some were in between. Whether or not you would use this feature is up to you. But, the one thing that is for sure is that if you have any online forum idea, start it now. The founders of YouTube didn’t become rich in a day, but they never would have been successful if it weren’t for one good idea. And now, their business idea has been bought out by Google, used by many celebrities and million dollar companies, and become home to a website we have grown so fond of.
