In my opinion YouTube is very overrated. I watch YouTube occasionally but it’s mainly when I need help with my math homework or to learn how to make something like an art project.

There are many famous YouTubers out there who have built a following of teens and others that watch them nonstop. I have classmates who watch animations and basically search for different how to videos constantly. Even my cousin who is only 3 likes to watch other children her age play with dolls on YouTube.

I don’t understand how people can be so intrigued by watching YouTube so often.  Personally, I am really dedicated to sports and my family, so I have limited time to watch YouTube for hours.  However, many people my age can spend most of their free time watching their favorite YouTuber.

I wonder what is the reason for watching so much YouTube.  Are they seeking information about life, other people or ratings on things? I often wonder what makes a YouTuber famous.  Is it because what is happening in their life is so much more interesting than the average persons day to day?  Why is it so important to watch what is happening in someone else’s life?  Are you just following the trend of who is popular this week? Or do you really have faith and belief in what this person is saying is true? Or did you just get hooked on one famous YouTuber and then your friends and others keep introducing you to new YouTubers so you continue to get distracted because you can’t stop watching?

One of my classmates was talking to me about a famous YouTube star, Summer McKeen.  Her brand and focus on YouTube is how important health is and how she keeps her body nice and free of harm. Not only that, but how she is  an overall cheerful person.  She made it seem like her life was perfect for her viewers and fans. However, her fans were let down when videos leaked of her doing inappropriate things like making racist comments and cussing and vaping.

Others watch YouTube to try to pass time and cure your boredom.  Some watch it just for entertainment.  In my opinion I think our generation should try to focus more on what is happening in their day to day life like, spending time with family, doing your schoolwork, finding a hobby you’re interested in or going outside. Those are four simple things you could do other than watching YouTube.

In 2005 Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim released yet another streaming app called, YouTube. Now owned by Google, YouTube is an app dedicated to videos ranging from tutorials of any kind, entertainment, TV shows, and even vlogs. The app allows a range of people to all watch things that are important to them all in one place, and in my opinion I think YouTube is one of the best streaming apps if not the number one.

I understand that for some it seems ridiculous to hand a phone to a three year old as entertainment but if you think about it my generation was stuck in front of a TV, how is that any different from YouTube? The answer, it’s not.

YouTube is not only good for entertainment from movies to shows or vlogs it can also be a great place to learn. I personally started playing guitar in the 5th grade and at first I could only learn when I was around my uncle, when finally in the sixth grade I bought an ipod, got YouTube and learned how to play with just videos.

Another reason YouTube is such a large platform is because a lot of you tubers creating content are relatable to their fans. For example a popular YouTube right now is Emma Chamberlain, her entire “brand” is to be a relatable teen. Chamberlain creates videos of her doing everyday things and edits them with funny zoom ins and sound effects. With this Chamberlain has amassed over 8 million subscribers.

On the producing YouTube is a great outlet for creators because it allows them make content that they enjoy making in an easy way and becomes a job to many. For example at the age of 16 the Dolan Twins moved from their home town in New Jersey to LA  to pursue their YouTube career. Now four years later they are still creating content and YouTube is their one and only job and source of income.

Either you enjoy watching YouTube or you don’t, I think it’s an amazing platform for both watchers and creators as a way to connect to others, learn new information, and at the very least watch a movie.