Lovers, Haters and WEIRD People

In “Searching for the ‘You’ in ‘YouTube’: An Analysis of Online Response Ability,” Patricia G. Lange studies the “complex and potentially contentious” nature of social networking today. She examines the extent to which social communities forming on YouTube should be controlled by administrators, parents and the participants themselves. Some participants argue that any form of control is censorship and against their ‘right’ to free speech, while others say that ‘haters’ need to be controlled so as to not discourage creativity.

            After reading this article, I was led to ponder what I would do if I were to participate on YouTube. What would I say? And more importantly, what do I have to say that I need other people to hear so badly? This may be a hugely contradictory statement when taking into account this participation in blogging, but nevertheless is an important question for any hopeful Tuber to ask. I came to the conclusion that, although I haven’t lived quite the normal suburban lifestyle and I’ve travelled around the world and seen many things, I have nothing completely original to offer. Anything and everything I have done, someone else out there has done as well, and most likely done it better.

However, now it appears that this might be more then just a personal thought. It could be a deeply ingrained cultural difference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQGgDY1C1mk

Or please read:

            It appears that I might not be WEIRD, or at least did not grow-up in a Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic culture. But it is very clear that it is these WEIRD people who are so individualistic that spend the most time on YouTube.

I worry about the narcissistic nature of the vlogging that goes on today. I can see the value in vlogs that speak of a larger topic, and maybe relate personal experience and insight where insight is needed, but when any random person with a webcam and a modem thinks what they have to say is vitally important… well, lets just say its getting harder to find the needle in the giant stack of garbage.

            I don’t feel like I need to add to that, and I plead with tuber’s to consider the same questions before going online.

-Lange, P. (2007). 'Searching for the 'You' in 'YouTube': An Analysis of Online Response Ability', In Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference Proceedings 2007(1): 36-50.