YouTube is everywhere

If you think about the digital world and the platforms in the digital world, there is one platform that has been at the forefront for quite some while now: YouTube. It began as a small website on which you could share videos, but it has grown into the most influential platform on the planet. Today, YouTube is everywhere. It is on our computers, our phones and even on most modern televisions, but most importantly it is in all of our minds. People watch it on the train, at home, at school, or at work during a quick lunch break. For many, it has become part of everyday life. However, YouTube is not only about having fun. It plays very different roles, depending on where in the world you use it.

History

YouTube was founded in 2005 by three former PayPal employees, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. Those three had a simple idea: create an online platform where anyone could upload videos. The first ever video, “Me at the Zoo“, uploaded by Karim, is only a measly 19 seconds long, but it marked the beginning of a new time. Back then they could have never known that video sharing would become so big as it is today. In 2006, Google recognised the potential of this platform and bought YouTube for 1.65 billion dollars. From that moment, YouTube started to grow rapidly.

Entertainment

In the years that followed, YouTube developed into much more than a simple website to share videos. The introduction of channels, subscriptions, and later monetisation made it possible for people to earn a living and make a job out of creating content. This gave rise to the phenomenon of the “YouTuber,” an entirely new kind of celebrity. YouTube quickly became a place for entertainment: music videos, people playing games, comedy sketches, and make up tutorials attracted millions of viewers. In many Western countries, YouTube is now seen mainly as a space for fun and some youtubers even made it onto TV, take StukTV in the Netherlands. It is deeply integrated into popular culture and even influences fashion, music, and language.

Education

However, YouTube’s role is not the same in every place. In many parts of the world, especially in third world countries and developing regions, YouTube has become much more than entertainment. In countries across Africa and Europe, YouTube serves as a very important tool for education. Where access to physical schools, teachers, or other types of knowledge is limited, the platform opens up opportunities for self-study and learning. Students can follow tutorials in mathematics, science, or languages. Farmers use YouTube to learn new agricultural techniques, while entrepreneurs watch videos about starting businesses. In this sense, YouTube functions as a global library, freely accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

This shows the dual character of YouTube, which is fascinating. Looking at it from one angle, it is the world’s largest stage for entertainment, where creators compete for views and subscribers. Looking at it from another angle, it can be a source of support for people in regions who do not have a lot of resources. It shows how digital media adapts to the needs of its users depending on where they are in the world. The same platform that delivers celebrity gossip in Los Angeles can provide life-changing content in Kenya.

YouTube’s journey from a small, simple website to a global digital giant shows how powerful an idea can become. It entertains billions of people around the world, but it also educates people across the globe. Where in the world is YouTube? The answer is simple… it is almost everywhere! It does, however, look very different depending on where you are in the world. This makes it so that YouTube is not just a simple platform for videos. Whether we use it for entertainment, education, or inspiration, YouTube is now a very important part of modern-day life, shaping both our culture and our future.