YouTube is Powerful

Of all the interactive Internet platforms, youtube is probably my favourite. Most of my time is spent on looking at different music clips. Especially the acoustic versions of songs, or covers of songs. But watching some videos today reminded me of how powerful youtube can be. For musicians in particular. Without being famous or rich or signed to a record company, youtube provides a service that immediately advertises the musicians. Every day someone on facebook puts up a link of a song they like (or hate) and everyone can go look at it. And this can spread so quickly, I've realised! Every social network is so interlinked, that posting something on facebook or twitter automatically creates a chain reaction of hundreds, or thousands of people seeing something that would otherwise be unknown. And it is so simple, just the click of a button. I only need to think of a year ago, when the phenomenon that is Rebecca Black, graced the interweb. Forgotten about it already? Here is a quick reminder:

In the span of 2 weeks she had COMPLETELY taken over every form of media I was exposed to; facebook, twitter, text messages, conversations, even news articles and radio programs talked about it every day. Soon hundreds of parody videos and debates emerged over youtube.

This brought home to me how powerful interactive media can be. Had this video not been newsfeed-raping every person with a computer (or ears), the song would probably not have been important at all. It was simply the act of a few people talking about it on facebook or youtube that somehow created this viral miracle. I honestly believe that if the song had not been so widely spread, few people would have hated the song as severely as they do. "Worst song ever written", I believe is the most commonly used phrase in relation to this video. Even if I just think of the death-stares I have received from my friends when I accidentally hummed "it's friday, friday", I realise how influential "accidental journalism" can be.

If we say that every comment, every status, every post is seen as some form of journalism, then imagine all the negative reporting that was happening. This is largely the reason that everyone hated Friday. Basically, just because everyone else hated it. People are generally stupid. People are generally unoriginal. And people like having opinions and ideas given to them, because then they don't have to think of it themselves. Journalism can be so powerful, especially on the mass media platform we have today.

This brings me to the most recent and obvious example of this: Kony 2012. Don't deny it, you have reposted it, I know you have! Here is the infamous video:

Never would I ever have imagined that this one video would cause so much commotion and controversy. In the matter of days, this video was all that was talked about. I remember talking someone who mentioned that he watched the video one night, and it was at about 1 million views. He then left it overnight and when he refreshed it the next morning, it was at 10 million views. It was phenomenal.

I also remember the first time I heard about Invisible Children. It was in 2008 in my classroom in South Africa. We watched the video and I was so moved by it. I researched everything about it. I joined the group, signed the pledge. And honestly, I only thought about it sporadically over the next few years. And then Kony 2012 popped up.

Now, I do not really want to go into my exact thoughts about what this video is trying to do, and if it is succeeding. Because I do think it is great that people finally know about this issue. After years of the world being oblivious. And it is not as if I did a lot to help the cause. But the rate at which this got popular, did not make me think that people suddenly cared. It only reminded me of the ease at which we can control the masses.

Everyone was reposting it. Everyone was suddenly a social activist. The fact that there were many other, maybe even bigger, problems in the world did not really occur to anyone. I've seen how people blogged about how the popularity of this video made them believe in the power and goodness of the human race. It did the exact opposite for me. As condescending Wonka so cleverly states:

People like being part of something. People like feeling that they are important and showing off to everyone else. And this video seemed to be just another way for people to show off their personal "originality". Don't get me wrong, I know that getting the word out is good, and that so many people genuinely care. But I do believe the majority of people just want to jump on the band wagon of whatever fad is in this week. In a month everyone will have forgotten completely about it.

Journalism and mass media can be so powerful. The Kony 2012 and Rebecca Black videos show this. But this means we have to be so much more careful, because what we publish and what we say can have a huge impact on many people's opinions.