The YouTube platform has been around for two decades, allowing users to access billions of uploaded videos. The videos, whether they are makeup tutorials, tutoring in school subjects, or tips for the home, help users find answers to their questions. Dr. Josephine B. Schmitt, scientific coordinator at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), sees the “individual availability” of the videos as the secret to their success. Depending on the user’s interests, a video can be accessed for educational purposes or entertainment. She also points out that YouTube is a social network that can stimulate discussion through its comment function and the creation of user-generated videos, thus acting as a socialization agent. According to Josephine B. Schmitt, the platform has changed over time and serves various actors with different goals, whether for mobilization, educational, or marketing purposes. However, this professionalization and commercialization have the disadvantage that users no longer feel represented. Further points of criticism include the handling of hate speech and algorithms. Despite moderation measures, disinformation and hate speech remain visible to the public on YouTube, while recommendation algorithms remain opaque. These issues mean that controversial content with heightened emotionality achieves a much greater reach than content that does not use this approach.
How YouTube Achieved Cult Status
Dr. Josephine B. Schmitt, Scientific Coordinator of the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), was interviewed by the Evangelical Press Service (epd) about 20 years of YouTube. She points to the increasing influence of algorithms, which poses new challenges for media literacy and quality control.