Wednesday, April 11, 2007

"YouTube has no ethics, it's been created for the sole purpose of entertainment and money." Do you agree?

YouTube, bought by Google for $1.65b last year, is a popular free video sharing website that has a remarkable number of users. Since it was founded if Feb 2005, it has grown to become one of the most entertaining and popular websites on the internet. Does YouTube have no ethics? Has it been created for the sole purpose of entertainment and money? I would think not.

It is true that YouTube has become the cause of many controversies regarding copyright infringement, violence and banning of the website in some countries. A large amount of content is being uploaded by people not permitted by United States copyright law to do so. Although the company often removes these contents, there are still cases of them being uploaded. The ITV News bulletin has also expressed their concern that YouTube encourages violence and bullying amongst teenagers, who engage in happy slapping. YouTube has also been prohibited in Iran to block corrupting foreign films and music. It has also been banned in Turkey and Thailand due to videos offending the Turks and the former Thai Prime Minister. All these events would lead one to think that YouTube does not follow a system of moral principles.

Why then is YouTube still so popular? This is because the benefits outweigh these few alleged affairs. YouTube is very convenient and effective way to show one's talents such as singing, dancing, playing an instrument, comedy acts and even video editing. In fact YouTube has led to the creation of many "internet celebrities", who are popular beings that have attracted much attention from their videos such as Brooke Brodac and Lisa Donovan. YouTube not only promotes creativity but acknowledges it as well. YouTube recently awarded some YouTube videos under the categories of “most creative”, “best comedy”, “most inspirational” and so forth. YouTube also features that are educational, such as documentaries and guides. The fact that YouTube entertains free of charge is extremely admirable. YouTube was named TIME magazine’s “Invention of the Year” for 2006.

Hence, I do not agree that YouTube has no ethics and has been created exclusively to entertain and earn money. In the process of promoting talent, YouTube may have caused some arguments, but this user-friendly site has many more functions than just to amuse and make profits.

1 comment:

"Dream as if you'll live forever... said...

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