Abstract: YouTube has changed the way how we learn, and it offers a lot more than just watching videos. This paper looks at how it has become an important place for learning, challenging how we used to think about education. By looking at how easy it is to find information, how people can work together, and how they can learn new skills, the paper shows how YouTube is making education fairer for everyone. It also talks about how people around the world are using YouTube to learn and share knowledge. Even though some people don’t like it, YouTube is still a great way for anyone to learn new things. In fact, you can be a graphic designer, an artist, and many more just by using YouTube
The digital world has made education a lot easier for many people. YouTube is one of the most popular websites in the world which many people use for an easy lifestyle. It has lots of videos that other people post to teach all sorts of stuff. The internet has made a big difference in how we learn. While many people argue that YouTube is mostly a platform for watching videos, many people also argue that YouTube is considered as a third-party place for learning. Schools and colleges are still very important, but YouTube is becoming a big help for learning too, changing the way we learn in big ways. According to Lee and Lehto (2013) «YouTube now appears to be a promising learning channel for one-time procedural tasks (para. 2).” This paper looks at how YouTube has changed learning by making it easier to find information, helping people learn together, making education fairer, and making it easier to learn new skills.
Firstly, YouTube changed learning by making it easier to find information by putting lots of videos about different things. These videos are very useful for anyone who wants to learn. The platform can even help students who are having trouble with a subject in school, college, or university. I completely agree with the author Ellis who argues that YouTube is a platform that teaches people to do something through step-by- step procedural instructions (Ellis, 1996). In my opinion, if students need help with math, there is probably a video that you can find on YouTube to help you. In fact, as a graphic design student myself, I have often visited the platform to discover various creativity from other people so I can find different solutions for my university assignments. While researching on one topic, I noticed that YouTube started to suggest me more videos regarding my chosen topics which also made the learning experience more interesting. This kind of approach not only helps a user to learn but also to discover more and motivates them to continue learning (Eiriksdottir, 2011). Additionally, what motivates people to use the platform to find information is it is free. No money is required to watch a video, and YouTube does not ask for any payment from you to make learning available to everyone worldwide. People in different countries can discover the same learning thing. Thus, YouTube helps to make education fairer for everyone (Rössler, 2012). For example, while others are paying to learn coding languages YouTube provides many videos so that you can discover the topics and access free tutorials from beginner levels to advanced levels. These discovery videos also provide learning practices such as doing homework so that users actively participate in the learning process (Michael, 2008).
Secondly, many people consider YouTube one of the biggest online classrooms where people can learn things together. Since many people argue that YouTube is mostly a platform for watching videos many people also argue that YouTube is a place where they can share their thoughts, add comments, and ask questions which also makes learning feel like a fun team activity. It has also been proven by YouTube channels such as Drumeo, where many drummers come to join live streaming and ask questions on live chat to find their solutions. I agree with the author who believes that YouTube tutorials are becoming more popular and have become the central place of learning just by watching videos of other people (Anderson et al., 2023). In fact, I can be an artist just by watching YouTube videos. Many people share their ideas, solve problems together, and also give advice. Additionally, since YouTube also suggests videos based on what you like, many people always find new things to learn and also discover many new people whom they can learn from. Where many people post comments like ‘nice’, ‘I love it’ or ‘awesome’ many people also post comments in terms of questions asking the video creator ‘how they are doing certain things?’ and, ‘What is the practice they need do to achieve that particular thing?’ (Wolf, 2021). Moreover, the coolest thing about YouTube is the suggestion system. By suggesting videos based on what people have watched before and how they have interacted, YouTube introduces them to new topics made by other creators that they might not have found before. This has been very helpful since it brings people closer to the content they want to learn, and it also introduces them to more different ideas and lets them discover from different perspectives. According to Verena (2024) “Communities of Practice are usually treated to consist of a content domain, a collective of people interested in that field of learning and practice, and a jointly developed shared repertoire of knowledge and skills to increase the effectiveness of each member in the domain” (Wenger, 2010). As a result, learners can explore more about a subject and gain insights from various fields, which enhances their overall learning experience (Verena et al., 2024). This makes people feel more connected and they feel motivated and encouraged to join in. However, YouTube is a free platform for everyone worldwide. While many people argue that it is only a platform to watch videos, many people across the world also came to participate and support individuals with the same interests and goals to learn together, no matter where they are. As mentioned above it is one of the biggest online classrooms where everyone helps each other learn (Unesco, 2022). Because of YouTube, many people have created a successful identity. Like Justin Bibier, Mr Beast is also one who has been very successful with the help of YouTube. He started his channel ten years ago and in mid-way, he was already hopeless and demotivated because he was not achieving his goals. But, today, the article “The KIND Foundation’s Frontline” (2022) explores that Mr Beast has a total of 200 million subscribers and a total of 21 channels in which he posts different videos for each and does other stuff like donations and relates to other people videos. Mr beast is related to this paragraph because he often does live streaming where he helps people worldwide by donating money in the other’s person live streaming chat (The KIND Foundation’s Frontline, 2022). This donation makes those people feel motivated and encouraged and they continue to post their videos and do their live streaming.
Thirdly, since many people argue that YouTube is mostly a platform for watching videos, it is also making education fairer for many people. If we go into the past, access to education often depended on factors like wealth and location. Many people could not have access to education because they were poor and did not have money to pay their fees. Some of them had to give up on their education and started to work to survive. Some of them were living very far from the educational state and it was hard for them to travel to get access to education. But if we consider the present, today YouTube is providing free educational content to anyone in the world with an internet connection (Nicolas, 2019. As I mentioned earlier, I often use YouTube to learn Graphic design. For example, when I am doing a montage in Photoshop and I feel stuck, I usually go to YouTube to find tutorial videos to help me get a solution. While navigating I get a lot of different visions which also develop my creativity. One thing I didn’t agree with the “A Study of Fairness Perception of Content Moderation on YouTube,” (2022), which the author meant to say was that using YouTube to learn is better compared to learning face to face with a teacher. I completely disagree with the author because the environment of doing a face-to-face class is much better. After all, face-to-face classes help you to concentrate more on your goals and you can have a much better guide to remove all your doubts within less time (James, 2021). In my opinion, it is true that sometimes good schools and teachers are hard to find but, if someone wants to achieve something they must work harder and not just sit and wait for everything to come in their hand. Furthermore, since YouTube has different videos based on related content, it has helped many people to learn in a way that suits them according to their choice. What I appreciate from Renkain and Yubo who said that:
Regular schools usually teach in just one way, but YouTube has all sorts of topics and ways of teaching. If you like pictures and cartoons, there are videos for you. If you prefer listening to someone talk, there are videos like that too. Whatever way you like to learn, YouTube has something that’ll work for you. (RENKAI and YUBO, 2022, p.19)
Fourthly, YouTube is making it easier for people to learn new skills by offering users a guide to Step-by- Step Instruction, providing Visual Learning with Interactive Features. There are many video creators on YouTube who set up their own channels and provide tutorials to users. They do this to show their talent which is actually also a way of promoting themselves. Justin Bibier’s example is the perfect example to relate to this. Like Justin Bibier, many people are using YouTube to learn from basic beginner guides to advanced techniques (Levine, 2010). The provided tutorials break down complex skills into different sessions so that they first attract viewers and make them interact with the channel in order to unload other sessions. This also gives content creators identity which also motivates them to continue uploading more and more. Many people look at those videos and watch them many times until they start to learn and do the same thing. But what is cool about this is that people can watch it again and they can also focus on specific parts until they have been able to achieve their goals (Blank, 2013). They also created a community only since many people interact using comments and replying in which they started to get engaged with other people who are learning the same skills.
This paper demonstrates clearly how YouTube fits the purpose of the conference by showing how it has facilitated education. Overall, YouTube has become a tool for learning and self-development. The argument presented in this paper aligns and supports the thesis statement, demonstrating how YouTube serves as a third-party place for learning, beyond just a platform for watching videos. Despite some challenges and criticisms, YouTube remains a powerful tool to help and guide people. Many people should know how to use YouTube in the correct way so that they can set a goal and achieve it.
References:
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Young, L., and Lehto, R. (2013). User acceptance of YouTube for procedural learning: An extension of the Technology Acceptance Model. Computers & Education, 61(1), 193-208. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360131512002229?via%3Dihub
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Renkai, M., Yubo, K. (2022). “I’m not sure what difference is between their content and mine, other than the person itself”: A Study of Fairness Perception of Content Moderation on YouTube. Pennsylvania State University, USA1, 6(2), 1–28. https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3555150
Faber, F., Heleen, C., Marth, M. (2021). The mediality of pre-recorded digital performing arts on YouTube: a skills-development module. South African Theatre Journal, 33(3), 87-105 . https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10137548.2021.1884127
Frontline Impact Project. (2022). The KIND Foundation’s Frontline Impact Project Activates Companies, Teams Up with Mr. Beast to Get Over 775,000 Food and Personal Care Items to Ukrainians. PR Newswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-kind-foundations-frontline-impact-project- activates-companies-teams-up-with-mr-beast-to-get-over-775-000-food-and-personal-care-items-to- ukrainians- 301559682.html#:~:text=In%20partnership%20with%20Beast%20Philanthropy,help%20the%20people%2 0of%20Ukraine.
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