The Power of Youtube

Social Media truly has revolutionized the way the world works. Back in the day in order to spread the word, public relations professionals went straight to traditional media. But going beyond the public relations and business spheres, social media has changed other industries remarkably. In this case, I want to bring attention to YouTube. There is more to YouTube than just cute, fuzzy cats and lyric videos. This is a way for any person to create an account and establish an outlet for their talent beyond the shower. According to the YouTube fact sheet: "Founded in February 2005, YouTube is the world's most popular online video community, allowing millions of people to discover, watch and share originally-created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small." I think this puts it quite nicely.

YouTube has launched several huge names in the entertainment industry. Today, the biggest name popping into mind is Justin Bieber. "The Biebs", as I so affectionately call him, just won AMA's Artist of the Year award. This just goes to show the power that thousands of preteens posses. Bieber got his start on YouTube with this lovely video. He got so many views on his videos that he garnered the attention of music industry folks and promptly blew up. Now he is the fantasy of millions of teenage girls worldwide. I am not one of them, though his tunes are quite catchy.

While YouTube has become so incredibly huge now, according to the site people are watching 2 billion videos a day on YouTube and uploading hundreds of thousands of videos daily. In fact, every minute, 24 hours of video is uploaded.

My all time favorite YouTube story is about a little boy named Josh Sacco. Josh's father uploaded a video of him reciting the Miracle speech.

Yahoo's Puck Daddy does a fabulous job explaining the story behind the video and the resulting outcome for four-year-old Josh. But perhaps the best result from this adorable, inspiring video is that Josh performed an edited version of this speech at the 2010 Red Sox Home Opener. Which as any die-hard Sox fan will tell you, is a dream come true. From your living room to Fenway Park, life can't get any better than that!

Budding artists can utilize YouTube to launch careers and gain the crucial following in order to make it in today's dog eat dog industry. What I love about all social media is that it allows anyone to create a unique online voice and be heard, or not. Social media allows a creative outlet whether in the form of a microblog, Facebook, videos, what have you. People can for relationships and make friends from all over the world through social media. The power that lies within your keyboard is amazing and revolutionizing.