The Evolution of YouTube: From 2005 to 2016
YouTube has described itself as a platform where any of its users can upload content for an audience of viewers. The audience for YouTube is definitely anywhere from children to adults, as content is so varied on this mass media platform.
The site looked really tacky in 2005 and looked like somewhere one could acquire a virus from. The website had some pretty basic functions including tabs leading to one’s profile, direct messages, uploaded videos, favorited videos, and a homepage that prompted for a screen name and password. The fact that there is a “Help” button is indicative that YouTube was in its stage of genesis when the format of the website looked as such.
What characterized YouTube from 2006 to 2009 was that its videos could be rated on a scale of 1 to 5 stars as opposed to the current thumbs up or thumbs down system. Also, during this time there was a tab on the homepage leading to a “community” section of the site. It seemed that within the first five years of its existence YouTube tried to define itself by its commitment to promoting community values.
As can be seen in this screenshot of the 2009 YouTube homepage, videos were ranked by a star system and the fourth tab on the site leads to a “Community” page.
In 2010 and 2011 YouTube was primarily marked by its push for featured videos on its homepage, but it was still in an experimental phase of figuring out how to best integrate featured videos into the homepage interface.
In 2011 this was on the homepage of YouTube, showing the most popular videos by different genre categories. At this point the most popular videos were rather plain with a blank background and obnoxious indigo blue text.
In 2012 YouTube really evolved by allowing users to add channels to their homepage to view with easy reference.
The 2012 YouTube homepage had a very clean layout with an expanded menu of options and easy filter mechanisms.
In 2013 YouTube’s homepage started to really resemble what the homepage looks like today.
There are a lot more options when it comes to YouTube in 2013 and this is made apparent with the links to music, gaming, sports, news, tv shows, etc. The very clean layout and transition to a lighter blue text make for a more modern look to the website at this phase of its development.
The layout of YouTube’s homepage remained pretty consistent from 2014 to 2015. Both years YouTube had a primary featured video supported by related videos and a host of recommended channels with an attractive red and white “Subscribe” button.
As can be seen the homepage of YouTube has recommended channels, however has upgraded to offering multiple videos by those recommended channels in a more targeted manner than before. The continuation of the large featured video on the homepage attracts attention and offers users an instant glimpse into trending video content.
Cultural changes that could have impacted the evolution of YouTube over time include the rise in smartphone technology in the late 2000’s that enabled users to watch YouTube on the go. YouTube wanted to make an easier user interface for this expanding population of smartphone and tablet users by filling the home feed with featured & recommended videos based on previously viewed content. YouTube also made it easier to subscribe to videos from a mobile platform with a large clickable button.
YouTube has become a major means of business for various media companies and so a cultural shift in YouTube has been promoting more commercial content in recent years as opposed to during the start of YouTube back in the later 2000’s. YouTube is more heavily flooded with videos related to promoting a particular movie than more original content. With the increase in advertising presence on YouTube one could argue that there is greater competition now between YouTube creators and YouTube advertisers to produce the most engaging content with the hopes of acquiring YouTube Partner status. What would qualify as a YouTube worthy video ten years ago certainly would not constitute a YouTube worthy video in our age of HD cameras, special effects, and editing capabilities. Conclusively, one could assert that culturally YouTube has raised the standard on what masterful video making means and challenges its users to produce their most valuable content.
Check out this link to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrheuG07Jq3dIPMKq4cp2wQ?view_as=subscriber
YouTube has personally been a great experience for me as a YouTube Partner. I have produced over 110 videos reviewing products from beauty, wellness, and health companies. Check out my channel–the link is above this paragraph–and subscribe to see upcoming videos including men’s makeup reviews on Urban Decay, Benefit, Target, Kylie Cosmetics, and Ulta products. My intersectional identity involves being a YouTube Partner who is Latino, of European descent, gay, nonbinary, and a graduate student.
