You-Tube
[This is a response to Mark Franek’s op-ed on You-tube and whether it’s good or bad]
I really enjoyed reading this piece. Some of the imagery and lines were fantastic. I enjoyed when the author said, “I am now in my mid-thirties, and my idea of a good spin is a ride around McMichael Park in East Falls, Philadelphia, in my car.” It reminds the readers of his humanity and allows older readers to relate in a fun, kind way. The connection between YouTube and breakdancing was a winner. They meshed really well and didn’t take away from either of their points. Overall, i thought it was a great read and couldn’t of flowed any better.
I’m not so sure if i agree with the idea that YouTube is a positive thing. I’ll play devil’s advocate and argue that it is murdering the essence of life and experiences as we know it. As the “bad guy,” i agree with the authors point when he says, “If I had YouTube back in the early-eighties, perhaps I would’ve learned how to do the backspin and then the windmill (an advanced move) a lot faster. But maybe then I would’ve missed out on that day in the park in New York City with the breakdancers.” The author truly had a life-changing experience and would never have that wonderful memory if YouTube was around in his younger years. In the days of Homer, people memorized stories that are now long novels. I don’t think we should, or can, go back to those days for i can barely remember what i ate for breakfast today, but i feel as though we should preserve some of the magic of first-hand experiences and not allow YouTube and our keyboards to be our access to life.
Now back to the majority. You Tube is AWESOME. As wrong as it can be when you think about my previous points, the instant you see a hilarious skit on YouTube you will fall in love with it. Any funny commercial you may not have completely caught, or if you missed an snl episode that all your friends keep talking about, you can simply go online and watch it for free. You Tube is a wonderful attribute to the web and i agree with the author in that it is groundbreaking.