YouTube : It's Power

He angled his camera towards his brown sofa, the light reflectors highlighting the undertones in his skin. He hit the record button. “Well hello everybody, my name is Tyler Oakley!” pulsated around him as he began filming his next video.

He is a YouTuber.

YouTubers are just like regular people, they live normal lives, go through normal things but the only difference is that they film it, often talking to a camera, doing tutorials, putting up little skits, doing challenges and or even making short films. But what makes it so unique, what makes it so much better than actors on the big screen? How is it that a person you have never met, one you only see through a computer screen can impact you in the most significant way, change your personality, change your life?

For many, YouTube is really the first site to search for videos online. Whether it be a video about the latest political election, a funny cat video or a tv show, Youtube has it all. It all started when three men, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim were looking for videos online but had terrible difficulty in finding them so they created YouTube, intended for sharing videos but has grown and evolved to much more. It is a special place, to some, their own Hogwarts where they can express themselves in an unprecedented way. YouTube isn’t just a place for outcasts making videos, contrary to what most people think. It focuses on real issues and it gives people something to relate to and has enough potential to be huge.

For an expert testimony, this reporter referenced Susan Wojcicki, the current CEO of Youtube who has said YouTube has been putting more and more effort into getting the YouTube community more popular saying, ‘YouTube personalities are well known to their audience but not to other people” and also explained on how and why she wants to change that. She makes it clear that YouTube has a lot of power and it certainly gives “a voice to people who would otherwise not have one” which ties into what YouTuber Bethany Mota had to say about her journey on YouTube, she talked about how it really did give her a platform to voice her thoughts for when she didn’t have that.

In the UK, a poll held by Tesco Mobile found that nearly a third of the population aged 16-25 watch YouTubers at least twice a week. Another survey revealed that 15 out of 22 middle schoolers say that they watch Youtube on an everyday basis and 11 out of the 15 say that these YouTubers have affected them in some way or the other. This information reveals that growth of the YouTube community is truly life changing and it definitely has the power to impact more lives.

Another survey conducted by Variety magazine found that YouTube celebrities are more appealing to Americans, aged 13 to 18 more that mainstream Hollywood stars revealing that The similarity between YouTubers and their viewers is the lifestyle they both share and that’s what makes them appealing. They share their life, their past, their thoughts and it almost feels like having a best friend who you haven’t actually met.

“These people have such a strong connection with their audience, and that just isn’t possible if you’re starring in a Hollywood hit every two or three months,” says Ben McOwen Wilson, the director of content partnership for YouTube EMEA, “There is no genuine personal connection with the audience, which is what it takes to be successful on YouTube.” Whether they vlog or film their whole day, or use social media, these YouTubers connect with their viewers on a daily basis, talk to them and do anything in their power to meet them- something that separates them from celebrities.

You may now think that YouTube is a place for uncultured slobs making crazy weird videos but give them a chance. But, quite the contrary, one Youtuber in particular that has impacted the whole Youtube community is Tyler Oakley, a 25-year old man with almost 6 million subscribers and over 250 million views. He is not just a YouTuber but also is an advocate for The Trevor Project, which is a suicide prevention project specifically orientated to gays, a project for which Tyler raised $250,000. Being an openly gay YouTuber, he always voices his opinion on gay rights and equal rights for all. So you see? YouTube can do things, it can change lives, it can promote well-being and it can be a safety suit for people to fall on when they’re down.

Give them the time of day because the amount of hard work, creativity and love that goes into these videos is unimaginable. Watch their content, theres nothing you can lose from it but theres a lot to gain. The journey that YouTube has taken and given is incredible and deserves to be recognized. “We’re just getting started with YouTube and its potential,” said Omid Kordestani, Google’s chief business officer.

There’s a lot of talk of YouTube possibly being the next television, who knows? Maybe in a few years time, you’ll be watching YouTubers on a weekly basis.

By Urja

The Problem With Technology

What do you use to call, text, search for information, use for school and not to mention use during your free time and before you sleep?

The bright colours on the screen has got everybody’s eyes glued to it for hours. Every time you sit down and look around, you’ll see everybody staring at their devices motionless. Nothing that is interactive going on between people. That is the problem in the 21st century, all people care about is checking notifications and messages, nobody is bothered to meet the person and say hi.

Technology is a big problem especially to teens. Teens would rather use their phones and laptops instead of going outside or doing sports or activities. Sometimes even adults cannot resist the screens and you can’t shut it off unless someone drags you away from it, or nobody is online, (A thing that rarely happens). Larry Rosen, a professor of psychology at California State University states that “teens who use Facebook tend to have more narcissistic tendencies, while young adults who are active on the site display other psychological disorders.” Another psychologist reveals that what’s not great about texting is that “it takes away all forms of face to face interaction – it takes away fully formed sentences – even spelling mistakes are accepted. And so, people tend do not engage in meaningful communication – they’re engaging in efficient and quick communication.”

What some readers may not realise that even teens think they spend too much on technology. All of the teens surveyed all said yes they spend too much time on technology. A source quoted that “Students use it for school which is already a long time and then for homework, social network, and games. New technology comes out almost every single day and a lot of teens get too caught up with the trend.” It becomes even more clear that teens realises how much they use it but still can’t resist it.

One by one, teens’ obsession with technology grows until they’re on their phone or laptop in a day longer than they go to school. Teens need to be more aware of the time they spend on technology, socialising with friends and family offline is more important. Put your technology down and enjoy life.

By Angelina

The Power of Social Media

Do you have the newest iPhone or Samsung? Do your friends? Technology and social media has had such a huge impact on our everyday lives. It’s trendy to have the latest technology and all of the social media; it is useful machinery but sometimes it can get distracting.

Haley is a typical fangirl of all the boy bands and youtubers, she has the need to know what they are doing at all times. She is on her phone at least every 10 minutes and it’s causing her to not focus at what’s a hand such as her subjects. Her parents are giving her a hard time about her grades and so she just hides away and goes on her phone which only worsens the issue. Haley always skips class and locks herself in the bathroom stalls at school, it’s like Alice escaping reality and going to ‘Wonderland’. Haley thinks that school doesn’t really matter to her. She just spends her weekends with her head in her laptop. She hardly talks to her parents even when they try to start a conversation with her fearing that all they will talk about are her grades. She shuts everyone out and is in her own world.

It turns out that this was not an isolated incident, the people interviewed were asked what social media’s weaknesses were and 100% of them said that it is distracting. They mostly all agreed that that was one of social media’s biggest weaknesses alongside cyber-bullying.

What, you may ask, should you do? Well, the choice is up to you really. Social media has a huge impact on our everyday lives as it shapes the way we do things. You’ve probably encountered many times when 2 people that have gone for dinner at a restaurant are found on their phones and not talking to each other. It’s distracting and sad that these people aren’t having a proper conversation with each other and as you keep looking back at them - to check if they’ve put their phones down - you’re disappointed when you find they are still at it. The only time they look away from their devices is to eat their food. It breaks your heart every time but makes you angry unless you’re one of them.Sofia goes on to say “yes, it is distracting but in a certain type of context. It distracts people that are doing work but it doesn’t distract people that are doing nothing. Anonymous then comments about a specific social media called Instagram “Instagram is like a drug, you can’t really get off it, it’s addicting”.

You may be surprised to find that when the world found out when the iPhone 6 was released they bombarded Apple with around 4 million pre-orders. Apple has grown rapidly to be known worldwide for it’s great technology since founded in April 1976.

Millions and millions of people are on some kind of technology at all times, whether it’s doing research for a school project or, having a skype conference or checking people’s status they are always there.

By Lauren

The New iPhone Rip-Off

As I walked into the Apple store, it was like a whole new wave hit me. I walked around until I found something, something that would interest me... Something new. That something was in front of me the new iphone 6. Even though the new one came out only 1 year ago I wanted the new one. The craving was overwhelming, taking over me. Something pulling me towards it. As a smirk came up on my face I picked up the phone and clicked the button. It was larger than any other phone apple had released.

This is simply a tactic, A simple tactic used by every multinational company out there, to sell or show off their products, this is very simple. All they do is create something exactly the same except with a couple of new features and a new design. And sell it for 1000 dollars. And people fall for this everyday. Not one, but millions fall for this tactic. The Iphone 6 sold over 10 million phones in 1 week which is over 300 in a minute. Which also means that if 300 phones are sold, thats 300 phones gone into a landfill.

Apple is not the only company using this tactic to suck in billions of dollars but Samsung another company who does this in an ever bigger manner. They release 4 phones a year! 1 main phone, followed by a supporting phone for that main phone and then a budget phone which is followed by a Note a Phablet. This makes them very rich as there is a phone for everyone there. And it ranges for cheap to expensive which makes everyone wanting to buy a phone from them. When a person goes to buy a phone they never think that where their phone goes in the end.

I slowly asked the counter person on how much this phone would cost me. He told me an estimate of 1000 dollars, I had enough money to buy one but I would not be able to eat lunch for the next couple of weeks until I get my next pocket money. But I knew I would not get this chance again to be one of the first people in my school to buy an I phone 6! I did have an Iphone 5s but it was old now. It did not matter to anyone now. It was no longer the craze... I needed the new one.

Apple sold 10 million phones in 1 week which means 10 million phones were discarded. 10 million phones could fill up multiple football fields. The amount of waste we create by buying 1 new phone is 800 dollars straight into the dump just imagine 10 million, 800 dollars. That would equal to over 800 billion dollars. Enough to solve a lot of earths problems. But we chose to spend it on a phone which we may already have.

What if having the latest phone is not cool anymore? What if having the oldest phone was? This is only mental psychology. As a grade 8 student Jaiveer told this reported that “Having a new phone won’t make a difference unless you have the first iphone and you buy the iphone 5 or 6.”

If you just use your old phone and only get parts which are no longer functional, there would be less waste, which would lead to a greener and a brighter future in the world. Which could make many more generations who live on this planet have a bright life on this planet.

By Utsah

Will the eighth and ninth grade be allowed to keep their phones at night?

One of the rules in the boarding house is for the students to bring their electronics down to the third floor at night. The third floor is where the students’ phones, laptops and IPads’ are kept from sunday to thursday at night. This is so the students won’t use their phone and computer and get distracted by it. The house parents believe that the students should get more sleep and rest their eyes instead of staring at their laptops and phones all day. Lots of complaints were heard from the eighth and ninth grade as they believe that they are responsible enough to keep their electronics. Sometimes, the students would try to hide their phones in the drawers but the house parents would find out. According to the boarding students in grade 8, they felt safer with their phone around and didn’t like putting their phones away for the night.

Will the eighth and ninth grader be responsible enough to not get distracted by their phones at night? “I’m not really sure, because it kind of depends on the person,” said an unconfirmed source. “Yes, because I find that when I don’t have my phone, I can’t tell the time because the clock in my room doesn’t work even after sending an email to the house parents.” complained an eighth grade boarder. According to another witness, last year when the students put their phone down, nobody woke them up. But luckily, some students hid their phone and called everybody to wake up otherwise they would have been late for school. The representatives of grade 8 and 9 boarders for boarding house council are now bringing this issue to the houseparents.

By Angelina