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The Youtube Road To Stardom or ... Disaster?
Posted by Maria Ng
on
6:35 PM
Justin Bieber and Greyson Chance? What do these two have in common? Yes, we know that they are among the youngest ever singer/artiste/musician. Despite that, these two talents were actually founded and exposed through Youtube. Oh baby, baby, baby oh..let's not get carried away by their fame. Alright, how exactly did Youtube pave the road to stardom for those two.
Justin Bieber, or known as #kidrauhl before his plunge to stardom first tasted his popularity in Youtube and then signed a major deal with Usher making him the youngest ever superstar at the age of 15. Wow, talk about YOUNG! His first ever single entitled Baby hit the record of the most viewed video in Youtube in July 2010.
Then came along Greyson Chance or #greyson97, who made it to stardom when a video of him perfoming Lady Gaga's Paparazzi surfaced on Youtube. Another similar story of normal individual making it big in Youtube whereby the tumultuous number of views resulted in Ellen Degeneres discovering his talent.
So, we can see how powerful video sharing is in today's world. One view could lead to many, many more and this could add up to millions. Video sharing is just as simple as snapping our fingers. We film a video we want, upload it and then click on the share button. Most people upload videos to be shared to the entire world with the hopes of gaining popularity and to gain exposure towards their talents or even products. As long as the videos are interesting, people would just continue to share like a chain that goes on and on.
Yes, we cannot deny the fact that video sharing websites provide the much needed exposure to these talents as everyone from just everywhere will be able to view the video. This online environment not only provide 24-7 services, it also caters to niche of infotainment interests that are not served by offline entertainment services (Lin and Atkin, 2007:10). Most people would turn to Youtube, Vimeo, Myspace or other social networking sites for entertainment as well as information which made it possible for video sharing or other information sharing to take place because of the bombardment of entertainment or "infotainment' materials available online.
Yes, we cannot deny the fact that video sharing websites provide the much needed exposure to these talents as everyone from just everywhere will be able to view the video. This online environment not only provide 24-7 services, it also caters to niche of infotainment interests that are not served by offline entertainment services (Lin and Atkin, 2007:10). Most people would turn to Youtube, Vimeo, Myspace or other social networking sites for entertainment as well as information which made it possible for video sharing or other information sharing to take place because of the bombardment of entertainment or "infotainment' materials available online.
The question of the day here is: To what extent does video sharing benefits the person uploading the video or most importantly those individuals in the video? As we have seen from the recent past, most individuals have paved the road to success from exposure in videos without doubt. However, there are others that have fallen to the pit of disaster from the viral spread of this video online.
Malaysia, for instance are plagued by the issue of video sharing as well. Take the scandal of Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek. His career and lives were very much affected when a video containing his sex scandal surfaced online and also distributed in the forms of VCDs. Right after, he resigned as Health Minister, MP of Labis and all other party posts as published in Bernama. It was guilt consciousness and the shame he had to bear that affected his resignation. It is impossible for anyone to even face the world if their sex video had been leaked out, what more to say a prominent figure as Dr. Chua.
So, what exactly does video sharing means in this global world? Is it a tool to stardom or a tool of destruction?
A word of advice here: We hold a very powerful tool in our hands. With great power, comes great responsibility. So, the keyword is always ethics. Use it for all the right reasons, and not for all the wrong reasons. Think twice or thrice or again and again before we even use it for the wrong reasons.
Lin, A. C. and Atkin, J. D. (2007). Communication Technology and Social Change: Theory and Implications. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. New Jersey
Bernama. (2008). Soi Lek Resigns From All Party, Government Posts. Retrieved from: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=305533
Whitney Baker. (2010). Paste Magazine.com. Five Celebrities Who Got Their Start In Youtube. Retrieved from: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2010/06/-celebrities-who-started-on-youtube.html
So, what exactly does video sharing means in this global world? Is it a tool to stardom or a tool of destruction?
A word of advice here: We hold a very powerful tool in our hands. With great power, comes great responsibility. So, the keyword is always ethics. Use it for all the right reasons, and not for all the wrong reasons. Think twice or thrice or again and again before we even use it for the wrong reasons.
References:
Lin, A. C. and Atkin, J. D. (2007). Communication Technology and Social Change: Theory and Implications. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. New Jersey
Bernama. (2008). Soi Lek Resigns From All Party, Government Posts. Retrieved from: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=305533
Whitney Baker. (2010). Paste Magazine.com. Five Celebrities Who Got Their Start In Youtube. Retrieved from: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2010/06/-celebrities-who-started-on-youtube.html
