YOU!tube

The internet is such an overwhelming sensation these days that any average Jo is able to become a super star overnight. Through the use of uploading videos or images, people are able to project their talents or lack of, to express themselves in such a public manner. YouTube has become the main force to venture peoples public opinion, abilities and to an extent stupidity to the whole world. Broadcasting these days isn’t just limited to media watchdogs and current affairs, but as globalisation has developed so has the need to broadcast.

‘Broadcasting is to transmit programs to make something widely known or to disseminate something’ ( Naficy, 2003, pp.51-62), and that is exactly what the phenomenon of YouTube is allowing publics to do. On YouTube people are able to find virtually any type of entertainment, whether it is music videos from famous celebrities to notorious civilians that upload their opinion on matters that really aren’t necessary.  A classic example of YouTube popularity can be seen when in 2004 the ‘Numa Numa Guy’ was the most watched clip having over 1million views that year.

Through broadcasting in such a commercial way the ‘Numa Numa Guy’ (Gary Brolsma) was instantly a YouTube sensation and almost 10 years later his video and face is still recognised worldwide.

Also YouTube allows the purpose of narrow casting to direct all its audience to one specific demographic which can be categorised as ‘YOU’. ‘Narrow casting aims a program or programming at a specific, limited audience’ (Naficy, 2003, pp.51-62), meaning that the majority of watches and audience of YouTube is ‘you’, ‘us’ as a nation and globe we are the aimed audience.

References

-          Naficy, H 2003, ‘Narrowcasting in diaspora: Middle Eastern television in Los Angeles’, The media of diaspora 2003, Routledge, London, pp 51-62