YouTube

YouTube is an American online video-sharing platform launched on February 14, 2005, by three former PayPal employees—Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. It was subsequently acquired by Google in November 2006 for $1.65 billion. YouTube allows users to upload, view, rate, share, add to playlists, report, comment on videos, and subscribe to other users' channels.

History

YouTube was founded by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, who were all early employees of PayPal. The idea for YouTube came from Karim's frustration with not being able to find easily accessible video clips online of the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show in 2004. The trio registered the domain name "YouTube.com" on February 14, 2005, and began developing the site in April of the same year.

The first video, titled "Me at the zoo," was uploaded by Karim on April 23, 2005, and shows him at the San Diego Zoo. This was followed by the official launch of YouTube to the public in November 2005, at which time it was used primarily for sharing personal videos.

YouTube's early growth was fuelled by the proliferation of broadband internet access and the increasing prevalence of digital video cameras. The platform quickly gained popularity, attracting millions of users who began uploading a wide variety of content, including music videos, vlogs, tutorials, and amateur films.

Controversies

YouTube has been involved in several controversies over the years, including:

• Copyright infringement: YouTube has faced numerous lawsuits from copyright holders for hosting copyrighted material without permission. The platform has implemented measures to address copyright infringement, such as Content ID, which allows copyright owners to identify and manage their content on the platform.
• Demonetisation: YouTube has faced criticism for its demonetisation policies, which have resulted in some creators losing revenue from their videos. The platform has updated its monetisation policies in response to criticism, but controversies surrounding demonetisation persist.
• Content moderation: YouTube has faced criticism for its handling of controversial content, including hate speech, misinformation, and harmful content. The platform has implemented policies and algorithms to identify and remove harmful content, but it continues to face criticism for its content moderation practices.

Most Popular YouTubers

As of 2022, the most popular YouTubers based on subscriber count include:

• T-Series: An Indian music and film production company with over 200 million subscribers.
• Cocomelon: An American children's nursery rhymes and songs channel with over 120 million subscribers.
• SET India: An Indian entertainment channel with over 117 million subscribers.
• WWE: A professional wrestling channel with over 78 million subscribers.
• Like Nastya: A children's entertainment channel with over 75 million subscribers.

YouTube's Revenue Model

YouTube generates revenue through a combination of advertising, subscription fees, and other revenue streams. The platform shares a portion of its advertising revenue with content creators through the YouTube Partner Program. Creators can earn money from their videos through ad revenue, channel memberships, Super Chat, merchandise shelf, and YouTube Premium revenue.

The amount of money a creator earns from YouTube depends on factors such as the number of views their videos receive, the demographics of their audience, the type of content they create, and the level of engagement their videos generate.

In addition to ad revenue, YouTube also offers a subscription-based service called YouTube Premium, which allows subscribers to watch videos without ads, access exclusive content, and support their favourite creators through the YouTube Partner Program.

Overall, YouTube's revenue model provides creators with various opportunities to earn money from their content and monetise their audience. However, the platform continues to face challenges related to content moderation, copyright infringement, and demonetisation, which impact creators' ability to generate revenue.