The Power of the Online Video

It would be hard to imagine that someone who appears on a screen, can make anyone who might have felt so insignificant in what seemed to be an infinite world, feel so special. Youtube used to be something for families to share not-so-private home videos but overtime matured into a viral online platform, which can now be used as a tool to earn money. More than 1 billion people visit youtube (.com) each month and over 6 billion hours are watched in a month- this is almost an hour of view time per person on earth. Never in history, has social media has been at it’s highest and as this is the virtual age. A student who participated in a survey relating to this topic even says, “I use YouTube more than I use the TV just because everything on there is just so real and I can relate to it.” But growing this extensively in such a rapid amount of time, how has it possibly impacted our already technology-obsessed generation?

Praniti, a participant of a questionnaire, said in the survey that, “Youtube hasn't specifically impacted me apart from making me happier, but I know that there are lot of people whose only reason to live is youtube as youtubers support them more than their own families. There are also several cases in which people were suicidal but lost all intentions to end their lives because of it. Honestly though, I don’t think people understand this about youtube.” This shows that youtube has touched people’s hearts in a way television can’t and should be more recognised for it.

You might wonder if anyone else has related to this. An anonymous, girl, aged 10, tells us the story of how she got hooked onto Youtube after finally grasping the meaning of the videos posted- The house is quiet as the night exhales it’s gentle wind through the gap of an open window. A girl’s eyes well up with tears as she collapses onto the bed sinking into the mattress causing the comforter to puddle around the hunched outline of her trembling body. No one could know what she was going through. She raises the hinge of her laptop. Who could ever understand what she was going through? No one. Click, tap. Well, maybe someone now. Casually landing on Youtube was something she went through before but this time it was different. She finally found a person who understood her, Zoe Sugg. Through Zoe’s teenage years she had frequent anxiety and panic attacks but she overcame them and now helps people understand that it’s nothing to be ashamed of if they suffer from it. Understanding Youtube and all it’s goodness is like opening a present. It may take some time to unwrap but once you open it, all that time of unravelling will be worth it. That’s what Youtube is, something that will always be there for you for the free price of a click away.

This story relates to so many people because at any moment, any girl or boy can find any types videos. From beauty videos to gaming commentary, any person, even one with the most diverse and unique personality, will find some source of comfort, laughter or clarity in at least one video as about 100 hours worth of ideas are uploaded every minute! Mainly, this is the compound reason people take so much interest into the videos of youtube, because the people uploading them are ordinary people. Those who make YouTube videos for a living are called ‘Youtubers’ and some are even more adored than some celebrities. Viewers are infatuated with their geniality, humour and charisma. The fact you can find all these qualities in one short video online, feels like it will always be there to comfort you. Especially for those who feel rejected in reality, watching youtube is a brief escape from your life like how Harry Potter left his old life to venture into a life where he felt like he belonged and was accepted.

In fact, Youtube holds a massive conventions for the devoted viewers like Youtube Fan Fest. People, predominantly girls aged 13 to 19, were rushing hastily to queue up in front of the bulging barricades pressed against each other. A smooth, velvet red carpet placed perfectly onto the cemented ground of Scape Playground. The fans, hyperly excited, were shaking on the little pieces of ground they claimed as their territory; the small chunk of space they had were surrounded by other viewers standing their ground making sure no one would take their area. Intense- the one word to describe the whole experience. Some of the girls perched themselves comfortably onto the floor waiting for nearly 6 hours under the scorching sun just for the 8pm show. These people committed themselves to see the people who exhilarated them through a video, the people who impacted their lives for the better.

Not only do viewers get affected by the impact of youtube, so do Youtubers: Bethany Mota, who is one of the most famous youtubers with over 7 million fans in her arsenal, started youtube when she was being cyber-bullied by people she thought were her friends; the rest is history. With over 550 million views collectively on her videos, she is taking the world by storm. From her beaming clothing line to winning a ‘Teen Choice’ award, this teen superstar flipped her life around. Tyler Oakley, another beloved youtuber who is one of the most ‘active’ LGBT community members, collaborated with Prizeo (.com) and raised half a million to donate to the Trevor Project which is a suicide hotline. ‘Prizeo' is an online fundraiser where celebrities can choose a charity of their choice then use the site to promote it and raise money for it; ‘Prizeo has also work with other reputable youtubers in addition to Tyler. Tyler has inspired dozens of lives not only through the Trevor Project, but also has built confidence in so many people who are still too afraid to ‘come out of the closet’ all through a screen. Tyler and Bethany were just normal people who found their voice online when they thought no one could hear them. Just imagine how you can change your life like they did. Speak up and let your voice be heard.

by Sofia

Grade Seven Sibu Adventures!

Can classmates, who may not be even familiar with each other, warm up to one another in just the first few weeks of school? Well, the students of UWC were put to the test when they were challenged to kayak the choppy waters of Sibu Island located merely off the coast of Malaysia, early in the school year during October. The children of the seventh grade class kayaked through heavy winds and rageful waves for more than six kilometres.

This whole trip was organised by the Outdoor Education department of the school.To clarify, outdoor education is lesson taught in UWC teaching handy everyday life like first aid or team working skills. The main reason the department wanted to execute this trip earlier in the year was so that the students who were put into their classes could connect better with each other and create a more trusted relationship faster as some of the students have never even met each other before they were allocated together.

Sibu is a humble island with ferocious waters and during the 6 kilometre kayak, even some of the classes’ sports enthusiasts were left absolutely drained and felt as if they just wanted to crawl into the warm embrace of their cozy blanket and the soft comfort of their bed. The only refresh they experienced during this challenge was the cool breath of wind brushing through their sea-salt textured hair, which at times was not as friend as the unmerciful waves. The journey took up space of nearly half of the day with only about 3 water break as the ocean at this time was too unpredictable to trust if we could stay still to drink water as the risk of capsizing in open water was immense.

This pushed many to the edge, but one the expedition was over the 22 kids landed on a beautiful, narrow, untouched beach with sand that felt as cushiony as velvet. But what did the children think? According to a student who participated in this event, Sidney, she says, “I never thought I would do something like this and now that I have done it, I am proud of myself. But even though I am glad I did it, I wouldn’t do it again! It was so tiring!” It seemed that even though all the children took pride in what they experienced but they said that it was definitely not something they would repeats there were many obstacles and were completely thawed of any energy.

It was obvious that the students had bonded over their kayak, meeting the expectations of the Outdoor Education Department. This maybe wouldn’t be an experience they would have done in the first place but it definitely taught them that challenging yourself is the only way to know if you would have liked it or not. Just say yes!

By Sofia