Free Youtube As A Medium For Self-Expression Argumentative Essay Example

Technology has altered the way people live their lives. It is hard to go one hour without interacting with an electronic device, and it even becomes difficult to think of how one went through their day-to-day routine without them. Through social media, there has been a democratization of information sharing. Now, the news reporter isn’t the only one that can provide you the information of what happens on the scene; you can watch a video on made by somebody that was there with a smartphone. There are pages where you can upload whatever you want, allowing anyone around the world to have access to these files. YouTube, a website that especially hosts videos, is a creative platform that allows people to express their personal opinions or criticisms, changing the way common individuals are heard.
There are two main advantages to this website: medium and accessibility. One of the most important facets of this site over the others is its focus on videos. Due to the contemporary focus on experience, this medium is most relevant, as it is more accessible to the viewer. The modern person does not want to read, look at a photograph or at just audio when he can have all of these experiences together in one package. Also, anybody can upload a video into its server. This allows people to easily share their opinions, beliefs and thoughts as long as they have a digital camera and internet connection. Conversely, one can listen to people all around the world express their mind if one wishes, allowing recognition and interaction with other cultures and belief systems. This allows for great participation with and through technology. As one can see, electronic devices and scientific advances can be of great use as expressive and communicational tools in the modern era.
The article “Dream Machines”, by Will Wright, also deals with technology and its interaction with human creativity and interaction. He believes that videogames, in particular, are shaping the way a new generation interacts with the world, seeing it “as a place for creation, not consumption” (Wright 1). In this sense, he is in line with a part of the present text’s main thesis: one of YouTube’s most important aspects is that anyone can upload the videos that they have made themselves. For example, Exprodigal83’s “The Obamas After Dark”, a cartoon about the current president of the United States of America, and Taygeezy’s “Illuminazi”, a rap song about the secret group Illuminaty, both tackle social issues in a lowbudget way, yet they can be heard by anyone in the world with internet access. People today are more encouraged to create objects, as there are many outlets where these pieces of self-expression can be posted and viewed. “But the Internet has morphed what we used to think of as a fancy calculator into a fancy telephone with email, chat groups, IM, and blogs. It turns out that we don't use computers to enhance our math skills - we use them to expand our people skills” (Wright 2). For Wright, another important aspect of modern technology is the ability to interact with other people, augmenting social skills. YouTube also allows people to communicate through video responses and comments at the end of the video, which is arguably better than the possibilities that videogames offer.
Another approach to new technology and society is present in “How Computers Change the Way We Think”, by Sherry Turkle. In it, she analyzes the changes that have occurred since the introduction of the computer, including those in social interaction and identity construction. “As an etnographer and psychologist, I began to study not only what the computer was doing for us, but what it was doing to us, including how it was changing the way we see ourselves, our sense of human identity” (Turkle 1). Through virtual avatars, people can modify their identity; for example, YouTube channels allow for the manufacture of identities, and videos can be edited to be whatever the person dreams to be like. “Information technology is identity technology. Embedding it in a culture that supports democracy, freedom of expression, tolerance, diversity, and complexity of opinion is one of the next decade’s greatest challenges” (Turkle 5). For Turkle, technology has the ability to form and modify people’s identities; thus, the integration of the effects that the democratization of technology has had on society is one of the most difficult aspects of social engineering that will have to happen in the future.
Nevertheless, some could argue that YouTube does not allow people to express their opinions or that this is intrinsically wrong. On one hand, it is true that getting yourself heard is difficult, even on YouTube; one of the effects that the democratization technology has brought is that many people are uploading their information at the same time, and it becomes like trying to get yourself heard in a sea of people who are all shouting. “For those who are lonely yet afraid of intimacy, information technology has made it possible to have the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship” (Turkle 2). Technology augments loneliness, which is one of the greatest causes of personal suffering in twenty-first century, Western civilization. The breaking of the fragile mirage of companionship could have drastic effects on a person, including suicide. “But middle-school and high-school students tend to be willing to provide personal information online with no safeguards, and college students seem uninterested in violations of privacy and in increased governmental and commercial surveillance” (Turkle 2). Finally, one has to decide what opinions he or she will voice. Due to this trend of not giving privacy the importance and weight it should take, people in YouTube channels could give away more information than they should; this is especially dangerous for young children. While YouTube is an important medium for the diffusion of personal information, there is a line between opinions and private data that should be only crossed with caution. Sharing personal opinions can have its risks, especially among radicals and people prone to infatuation; it wouldn’t be outrageous to think that a person could be assassinated for expressing a strong opinion that goes against some religious fanatic’s worldview. Therefore, while this website allows you to voice your opinion, it does not guarantee that it will get heard or that it should.
In conclusion, YouTube is a powerful medium for self-expression, allowing people to voice their opinion easily and in an agreeable format. The democratization that technology has brought allows people to upload whatever video they want and to interact with one another. Also, it allows the modification of their identity, constructing a virtual avatar that may or may not coincide with what that person is actually like. Nevertheless, the effects of this aren’t always good: they may lead to personal harm, both physically and emotionally. YouTube allows for the expression of personal opinions in a way that had never been seen before, incorporating both internet and video; yet, it is important to know when to voice your opinion, and when not to.