I enjoyed that 55-minute video so much, this must have been my 3rd or 4th time I have seen it. I thought the video was very well-put together, and must have taken quite a long time to construct. The efforts were paid off quite handsomely; the 55-minutes of this online goodness received over a million views and was mentioned and gone over in various publications.

The video expounded on how mundane events in our lives (baby brother biting a finger) can become so adored that they become famous as well. Moreover, it was given that YouTube has turned a multitude of otherwise ordinary people into famous stars. If it had not been for YouTube, the entertainment industry would not add as many performers as it had been since YouTube became popular.

This trend is only increasing, perhaps exponentially. As many users find it easier to upload their videos and their lives onto this fabled media-sharing website, they may get to share insights with others that would not have been shared before.

I have learned a great deal through YouTube. (Examples: How an iPhone would grind in a blender, how well the best college admissions musicals are made, and much, much more.) I could swear that YouTube has, in some cases, saved some college students from failing out of their classes or their entire universities all thanks to YouTube. A compelling reason for that would be that many universities, even Ivy Leagues, are putting their lectures on there.

YouTube is a tool for and against procrastination. Many of the videos help us further ourselves in our class progress, while many more others will keep us from finishing our projects.

YouTube is also a moneymaker for some users. Typically, when a video (or set of videos) become popular enough, YouTube (or ad companies through YouTube) will come forward with an offer to show ads on certain parts of their video in exchange for a handsome sum or payment interval. Many users accept, and so would I if I was approached with such an offer.

Even though I believe “practice makes perfect,” I’ve seen users with hundreds of videos who still haven’t had a hit video enjoyed by millions yet. That is most likely because none of their videos stand out wildly enough to become viral. Sometimes though, it takes the right person to stumble upon a random video to make them and/or the video(s) famous. One case was Justin Bieber. A music executive had to accidentally click on one of Justin’s videos before he would sign Justin up for some kind of record deal that made him known, hated and loved worldwide.

As well, there are many more future stars of YouTube that are just waiting to get discovered by the viewing audience at large. Every so often, the right sets of people will open those video links and be so awestruck by their performances on them that they make them famous (and possibly rich) in one form or another, often by signing record deals or just by rebroadcasting them on a site or other well-visited venue.