By Tyler Lorenz ’22

Take a stroll around the NA  Middle School–the students are smiling, having fun and misusing technology on one main website. Youtube, ahh yes… Sure, Youtube can be used as a great teaching technology, and many teachers use it in there classes. Whether its showcasing portions of Macbeth, or learning about the Harlem renaissance, teachers use the media website that is worth between 26 and 40 billion dollars. Students enjoy Youtube, to stream Fortnite (myself included, Yes, I have had my computer taken away for this), or simply watch old vines with their friends during lunch, it is one of the most used websites in the Middle School (except for the trusty Canvas).  But this all begs the question, Why is Youtube so popular? Instead of just answering myself, I asked a few of my peers, One said,” It is popular because artists and celebrities use it to get there music videos, specifically using VEVO.” Youtube is so popular as a free music source that it even launched Youtube Music in 2015. Another one of my peers stated, “It is popular because you can watch anything from tutorials to funny, entertaining videos that can be watched anywhere and with anyone.” This is also true, Youtube can be watched on pretty much every platform. Youtube has the greatest variety of any website. One second you could be watching a Fortnite video by Ninja (Tyler Blevins) and your suggested could be a Flight Report By FlyingTy. (Tyler Lorenz) Either way, this variety offers something for everybody on youtube, and all for no cost. One of my teachers agreed with this statement,” It is a great distraction, there is a lot variety, everyone has something they can associate with.”  Teachers do use Youtube in academic ways, some to showcase to the students real-life examples of what they are learning about. One student I asked replied in a way I had not thought of yet, “I can access Youtube almost all the time, and the amount of things that I can watch is insane. I also like that the people on Youtube that I watch are normal people that I can relate to (Emma Chamberlain).” The fact that people post everyday and are just normal people recording their life, is somewhat shocking. In fact, this is most-likely the reasons that some creators are so popular, because they are so relatable. Some creators I like include, Casey Neistat, Someone who has over nine million subscribers. Youtube is essentially his career, who on one video can make over ten thousand dollars.  Also the likes of Pewdiepie (Felix Kjellberg), who has acquired over 60 million subscribers on Youtube. These so called “influencers” not only use their channels to make money, but also use accounts on other platforms, and sell merchandise, often advertising it to their viewers. Logan Paul, an influencer who had a net-worth of over 12 million dollars at the end of 2017. However, Paul took a month absence at the beginning of 2017 after posting a controversial video showing a dead body in the Japanese suicide forest, even though the body was blurred, Paul handled the situation terribly in the initial video, but apologized numerous times in other videos and on other platforms, but lost a portion of his following. But why is Youtube so popular, because of these “characters” appeal and the fact that it is free. Youtube is so easily accessible and has something for literally everything, everybody can find someone to enjoy on Youtube. So remember, next time you are on Youtube, watch something new, but not in class.