Reflecting on YouTube

The video was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. Had a lot of information about the purpose of YouTube. Michael Wesch's , An anthropological introduction to YouTube included his students at Kansas State University. His students had separate assignments which made the 55 min video. The participant observation is the core of their work. Anthropology is not only observation but participation as well. Oh, and the word anthropology is defined as the study of humankind, human development, in all aspects of human culture. Imagine making your own video blog, the students here showed how awkward it is to make a vlog. You aren't talking to a person, you are speaking into your computer. Which seems as if you are talking to yourself. Two girls who were included in the video, felt so embarrassed they did their assignments in their closets! They had to do it, they were part of Mr. Wesch's class. That sounds like me, having to go to a quiet place so I wouldn't get raised eyebrows from my family. Michael said "It's as if everybody is watching but yet nobody's there". The way we understand ourselves is by how others understand us. Which makes a lot of sense to me. There are many reflective videos in YouTube, which means people talking about their insight on life. With vlogging we have the freedom to experience humanity without fear or anxiety. In the presentation there was a piece on YouTube drama. It spoke about Lonleygirl15 and nobody liked it because she was fake. She was role playing and people were angry because they got tricked into believing she was real. I liked the part about the universe. One world, a pale blue dot is the only home we've ever known. It has the people we care about, the ones we love and the people we care about in this tiny speck. YouTube has been identified as an escape from the real world. A world where someone can express themselves freely and without judgment. You tube is a community, a form of social structure applied through the world wide web.