YourTube: Viral Videos for Viral People

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Ashley Westbrook is a senior journalism major and staff writer for The Journal

Ah, YouTube. Possibly man’s favorite electronic pastime.  Be honest; how many hours have you clocked in on YouTube? There are times when there’s nothing else to do and YouTube is calling like a siren. It beckons you to click on the most controversial topic of the day and you can’t resist. Then there are times when something has gone viral and everyone is pointing and laughing at their computer screens. The videos of the day, as it were. And you can’t resist.

So, let’s take a stroll down memory lane together. Our discussion will focus on the good, bad and just plain terrible videos that YouTube users have uploaded.

Not too long ago a young lady posted a video on YouTube discussing her “dislike” for the Asian population at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her dislike for them wasn’t really their nationally, she explained. It was more or less their “lack of manners.” Apparently, we Americans set the rulebook for manners and Asians on their cell phones while in the library was seriously irritating her.

Oh, how she put her foot in her mouth. Needless to say the video was seen by millions and people charged with pitchforks. This young lady didn’t count on the  amount of negative feedback she would receive and decided to leave UCLA and hide in shame.

I am not a Justin Bieber fan and I’m pretty sure I never will be. But clearly, someone is. The musical video “Baby” by Bieber has 505 million views. Can that many people be wrong? Probably.

Now we will focus on the good things that have entertained all across the world. There’s the Evolution of Dance by Judson Laipply that dedicated his comedic style to taking the audience through a whirlwind of old- and new-style dances.

There’s the Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise that tickles Harry Potter fans with Puppet Severus Snape running the show. The Saturday Night Live Crew and Lonely Island bring in giggles with their music videos touching on strange and interesting topics.

Also, we can’t forget about the inspirational movements through YouTube such as Obama’s “Yes We Can” videos that captivated millions and really helped out his political campaign.  His campaign managed to bring in several “response videos” that reached one million viewers and his personal campaign reached 4 million viewers.

The terrible, we will split into two categories. The categories will be the “oh-my-why-did-they-do-this” and the terribly hilarious. Rebecca Black and her “Friday” song has 77 million views and has made the majority of its watchers slap their foreheads or re-watch it to make absolutely sure it’s not a joke. But it isn’t and she tried to sing her heart out. No words can describe it, other than saying it is less than a work of lyrical genius. The Dramatic Reading of a Break-Up Letter comes in at terribly hilarious with a young man taking his break-up letter and giving it a theatrical voice.

The Bed Intruder Song (don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about) came from a news station doing an on the spot interview that was horrible and hilarious at the same time. A group of young men took the interview and made it unique by tweaking it with music. Say hello to millions because these boys were able to strike a deal with iTunes and managed to have over a million downloads.

Each video served its purpose. It entertained the bored and intrigued part of the world for just a few minutes. Some videos should have never been created, but then again maybe they should have because it gives insight on how dense some people can be.

All in all let no one judge you as you continue to push repeat and watch in awe on YouTube.

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