Youtube in Regards to Originality and Imitation

Do video sharing sites such as Youtube enhance or worsen creative culture?

About a week ago I wrote an extra blog post about the Youtube based exhibition that the Guggenheim Museum is organizing and the organized awards being given to videos on a similar site called Vimeo just because it was something I was interested in and it seemed relevant to this course. I think that look at these two instances it disrupts the argument of those who believe sites like Youtube worsen creative culture with the absence of "cultural gatekeepers" as clearly structures are being applied to make it so that those still exist.

I agree that Youtube makes it a lot easier for us to waste a lot more time watching mindless crap, but at the same time it makes it a lot easier for more people to publish more things that might turn out to be actually really great. So many times I have talked with friends about sort of "what ifs" for example I've never tried to play the trombone, what if I was given a gift that I've never had the chance to discover and utilize as a brilliant trombone player?

As we discussed in class, before Youtube making a music video to be seen by the masses was extremely difficult and exclusive. This site invites any aspiring musicians, video artists, dancers, commentators, etc. with ease for the opportunity to be discovered by the public. An article on http://abcnews.go.com about young pop star Justin Bieber does an excellent job illustrating how important this can be.

Usher had "Star Search" to launch him out of obscurity at age 13. His new protégé, Justin Bieber, had YouTube. At 12, Bieber was posting homemade videos of himself on YouTube and industry insiders starting taking notice.

"It had a hundred views, then a thousand views, then ten thousand views, so I just kept posting more videos and more videos," Justin, now 15, says in a soft voice. "Eventually, I got found by my manager who flew me to Atlanta to meet Usher."

With "Bieber fever" sweeping the globe it is incredible to remember that this young celeb would be likely be no where without his Youtube account.

Basically, I feel that although the open nature of sites like Youtube leave us with a lot more junk to sort through they also make it possible for many more actually great things to get out there which in the end seems more important and certainly enhances creative culture.