Diffusion Theory: YouTube

 On February 14, 2005, Steven Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim launched YouTube, a social media and video-sharing platform after they had difficulty sharing videos they had shot at a dinner party and wanted to create a way to share such videos. Today, it draws in more than 2.5 billion users each day and is the second most visited website in the world, behind the Google search engine. YouTube is used by many people around the world, for different reasons and purposes. Although it is still growing and developing today, it has neared the end of its diffusion curve.

After its creation in 2005, it was bought by Google 18 months later for $1.65 billion. Through its new owner, YouTube began drawing in more revenue, not just through advertisements, but also through premium account offers, movie rentals, and more. Through this, YouTube earned $28.8 billion in annual advertising revenue in 2021. Most videos on the platform fall under categories such as music videos, vlogs, live streams, news, how-to's, etc. Larger entertainment companies, like Disney, even created their own YouTube accounts to post trailers and other content to expand their audience and viewers. Every social media platform has its negatives, however, as many have criticized the company for copyright issues and monetization of offensive content.

YouTube would not be what it is today without its users and the content they post. The site caught fire largely due to people having access to a new form of expression and sharing, through video. We as humans enjoy sharing and looking at other people's creations, not only for the social aspect but also for the artistic aspect too. As someone who uses YouTube frequently, I always enjoy watching other people's content and appreciating the work that went into creating their media. Having social influencers and companies using the app certainly helped, but the main reason the platform was so successful was that off its purchase by Google, which helped advertise on YouTube and draw in viewers. Many late adapters also use the app, mostly through news and instructional videos. While some people may be cautious about YouTube due to its social media label, it still serves as a platform that can be used for expressions of creativity, helping others, or simply used for the pure aspect of socializing. 

EOTO Reflection: False Flags

 My classmate Garrett Escala did his second EOTO presentation on False Flags. In general, these can be described as committing an act and then blaming it on the opposing party. These uses of false lags were used to pirate others ships back then and were used even today. A simple example of false flags would be a younger sibling hitting themselves and then pinning it on the older sibling, to get them in trouble.

Some notable uses of false flags were used by the German during World War II. It involved using concentration camp victims dressed as German soldiers who were then shot by the Gestapo, the German military police, who were dressed as Polish soldiers. This tactic was used to gain support from the German common folk for an invasion of Poland. It was also used in the Winter War between Finland and Russia, in which the Soviets bombed a Russian Village near the border of the USSR and Finland and pinned it on the Finnish.

False Flags are even seen today in current events, such as The Ukraine Invasion by Russia. In January and February of 2022, Russian media attempted to portray the enemy army attacking their country to justify their attack on Ukraine. Instead, it was immediately called out due to the disinformation video's lack of quality and mismatching dates. 

As someone who doesn't know much about military strategy and has good morals, false flags are used as a cowardly act and a cheap move to trick your people into feeling sympathy or supporting you. We are taught as children not to blame others for our own actions and to take responsibility. Unfortunately, we don't see those lessons carried on as world leaders do the exact opposite.