If you’ve spent any time on my blog, you’re probably aware of my anti-TV attitude. I’m a little disappointed in myself – I think I’ve found myself giving in to the YouTube kool-aid. Online video is hard to resist once they hook ya’…I can’t even tell you how many YouTube junkies are out there…but I know it’s a LOT. I feel like such a hypocrite. Hell, my blog is plastered with videos…admittedly, a lot of words, too…but still, I’m up to probably somewhere around 20 videos.
It’s times like this that I try to remember why I stopped watching TV in the first place back in 1997. 1) I wanted to explore it as a social experiment. 2) I hate advertising. 3) I found my quality of life and interests improved when not spending so much time watching TV. 4) Television wasn’t that good, anyways.
OK, then I compare those same reasons to YouTube and this is what I came up with. 1) YouTube is an interesting social experiment. 2) Not near as much advertising, but it’s still present. 3) I’ve enjoyed hearing & seeing “people” talk/teach/complain/etc and, in a way, it contributes to my quality of life 4) I’ve found a ton of kewl videos & if I don’t like it, I press the “Back” button and it’s gone. (I do banish all thee who think dumb is the kewlest thing. It is NOT kewl to be dumb.) So, as you can see, I’ve managed to justify every single point. I’m wondering if I’m a hypocrite – to denounce television, yet to watch *television* on YouTube (albeit directed and on-topic) seems a little contradictory.
I don’t really have a problem with motion video – I’ve watched enough movies & documentaries to prove that. My issue is more with the ever increasing level of manipulation that a viewer subjects themselves to. With television, people are presented a “mainstream” that has nearly become the bar to which we live our lives. It’s authority over the average American has taken on unprecedented proportions – it’s almost as if they accept it as reality. When in fact, it is not.
I really don’t get this feeling from YouTube. It’s television clips, sure…but it’s also Vlogs (video blogs), DIY videos, educational videos, amazing video and many other things. Real stuff. You can dive in and really direct your viewing towards specific interests or just click through the vast array of video interconnectedness…and with the size of it, there is a substantial amount to choose from. I don’t feel like there’s some great big hand guiding my thoughts with the bombardment of many common ideas and zippy video editing. It’s just different than TV.
So, I think I’ll keep posting videos to my blog – ’cause hey, I like ’em. And if I’m a hypocrite, that’s fine. I know enough to veer away from becoming a total YouTube junkie, so you can’t accuse me of that. I’ve also promised myself that I will continue to do text only blog entries as there should be moderation in all things. So, them’s the breaks with me, TV & online video.
