Saturday, September 6, 2008

Youtube is a binomial or double-edged weapon.

Hi everyone ,

Iam going to present next class on Monday how Youtube has beneful and harmful effects . I've posted these two articles to give you backgrounds that Youtube website isn't just a video entertainning website, but it has alot of serious issues.

*The bad one:

Sections: News, Web, Websites, Online Music/Video
YouTube plus stupid or criminal acts is not a good combination, or is it?
by Robert Nelson on Jul 4, 2008 at 04:07 PM

Keeping in mind that there are just some things that you should not do. Take “throwing a baby” for example, but assuming you felt the need to do such a crazy thing, then why would you feel the need to not only record it, but also post the video to a popular site as YouTube. Its almost like asking to get in trouble, isn’t it?
The latest teen did just that, he had his friend film himself throwing a baby, well not actually throwing, but sort of launching it. The 16-year old placed the baby on a large inflatable pillow and then jumped on it to send the baby flying across the room. The teens then posted the video online and it was later found by one of the students teachers, who promptly called the police. The 16-year old has since been charged with felony cruelty to a child, and according to Sheriff Harold Breeden;
“It’s not going to be funny when the judge gets through with him.”
Could not have said it any better myself, lets just hope the judge does not go easy, because it was also noted that this particular teen “has never been in trouble before.”
While some people feel that YouTube is a least partially responsible for these acts, personally I am glad YouTube and similar site are around. Its hard to imagine that someone who is dumb enough to do something like this would have not done it in the first place, at least with sites like YouTube and the Internet in general it makes it a little easier on law enforcements ability to catch these stupid criminals.

*The good one:
Sections: Web, Websites, Online Music/Video
YouTube becomes a good tool for local police
by Robert Nelson on Apr 15, 2008 at 06:15 AM

YouTube, while being widely popular and still taking more than its fair share of criticism over the use and what videos get uploaded still has some very good potential uses. It’s just up to the user or in this case the group to make good use of such a wide potential audience.
The Palm Bay Police Department, located in Florida has become the latest to attempt to make good use of YouTube’s potential. They have created their own channel and use it to share videos ranging from one about the “Florida Tour de Force” to clips of criminals in action and people they are looking for. While its always fun to watch those silly videos that go viral, its refreshing to see a law enforcement department be able to fit in with the craziness.


I hope these two articles to be just a good way for us to learning.

thanks ,

Maggi Youssef

14 comments:

Corey Frost said...

Good stuff, Maggi. Thanks. The article about the teenager and the baby leads us to wonder whether this is a problem with Youtube or a problem with teenagers. It is possibly to argue, though, as the article suggests, that the teenager would not have done what he did except that he thought it would be funny to post the video on Youtube. So, how much control should Youtube exert over what they allow to be posted? Should they ban videos containing violence or dangerous situations? What if they are fake (ie. fictional)? Should they ban videos that give instructions on how to do dangerous things? Should they ban videos that people might find offensive or scary?

Where would you draw the line?

Miguel Tepale said...

I wonder sometimes what goes through peoples minds when they post either dangerous or sick situations on the web. I think it all comes down to individuals who just want ATTENTION, regardless of the consequences. I really think youtube should regulate what can and cannot be uploaded on their site. Yet, I will agree that youtube has provided the law to enforce justice onto criminals. Yet I don't understand why someone would post a video that would incriminate them on a charge of any sort.

Enjolras said...

Good articles. I completely agree that youtube needs to regulate what can or cannot be posted, but I don't think they are at fault for any of these people's stupid/dangerous actions. If they can't post it on youtube, they probably would just find another website to put it on. People lacked common sense before the internet and will continue to for long after. As far as posting videos that give instructions on how to do dangerous things, I definitely think they should not be allowed. They not only endanger those involved in making the video but also anyone who watches it and thinks doing whatever it shows is a good idea. There are too many impressionable people out there to risk putting that kind of stuff on the web.

Amar Kaur said...

I agree with everyone's thought about u tube regulating what to post and what not to but i think it will be avery hard call for u tube to figure out. what is offensive to me might not be offensive to others. I think it is good that these stupid people put dangerous videos and thoughts out and whole world knows about it. This way right action could be taken against them and they could be stopped, just like in the case of teenager and the baby.

Christine Endriss said...

I agree with what amar said. It is hard to regulate videos in what can be considered offensive and completely harmless. Looking at the article with the teenager and the baby I can see why the kid can get introuble but then again when I look at television shows like Americas Funniest Home Videos they show things to that extent. I did not get to see that video but reading what the teenager did reminds of something that would happen on that show or rather the show jackass.

Jeffrey Gomez said...

This was a great article. It makes a great argument that youtube should be regulated. But it is not youtube's fault that a teenaged IDIOT, decided to launch a baby of an inflatable pillow. Instead of looking at the negatives lets look at the positives. The kid got cought and punished. This could set an example. Youtube cant stop stupid people from doing stupid things. Stupid people are just going to do stupid things, and if they want to post what they do on youtube it will be easier to detect them and punish them.

Ting said...

wow...good point, 'cause i never know that youtube has such harmful things before reading this article. i agree with Jeffrey that is not youtube's fault about those dangerous stuff, but i think youtube still need to regulate what can or cannot be posted online. maybe warn those kids that tell them not to do it again, if they are not listen, delete their stuff and block them from youtube.

Jake Gold said...

So as we have noted, this kid just did this stunt for attention as miguel had originally pointed out. People do stupid stuff all the time, but this was clearly premeditated. As far as YouTube being a tool for law enforcement to catch criminals, I happen to fully support it in this case. Many people who use YouTube as their access to the public tend to use it for illegitimate reasons, hence this kid and the millions of other stupid videos you can find on the site. On the other hand, as we see in the "good" article, YouTube can have some positive aspects as well. Especially for those who wish to find something of actual importance

A.Sharma said...

Your argument is pretty well written..I also agree that Youtube should regulate what to post or what not to post to a certain extent..but to be honest what is going to stop these teenagers from watching these kinds of videos? if not youtube then another website..u can't control it..it is going to happen one way or another..of course these kids are getting influenced by other people..and that is how violence always spreads...some people have different opinions then others...so I don't think it is right to ban all of these videos..due to some people's stupidity..

jacqueline said...

Very interesting articles,Maggi.As i know,most people use Youtube as their stage to upgrade their report.For example,my friends Tom and Tommy,they like to post a lot of their performances on Youtube to make friends or look for some opporunities of jobs.Finally, a lot of companies and broadcasting stations look for them to do some advertisements.Anyway,they achieve their purpose,and keep using Youtube to upgrade their report.Youtube is a good stage for people to express themselves.But if you use Youtube to post some foolish videos that equal looking for troubles.

haisheng lu said...

I think nothing is binomial, or everything is binomial. Since YouTube is just a tool to share the video, like a TV broadcasting company. I think the problem is, it is so new that the rule, the law or the society cannot follow up. But I think this is the funniest thing, just like finding a new land, there are so many “blanks” waiting to be filled in. Besides, if there are no YouTube or other video sharing websites, is it true that there is no one throwing a baby? I don’t think so. It is just the true world.

John K said...

Great article Maggi. It's really unbelievable what some people would record themselves doing and then post so everyone could see. I can't believe the teenager threw a baby and posted it thinking they're wasn't going to be any consequences for his actions. I, myself, go on youtube a once in a while to look up some videos. I notice there are a lot of things on youtube that are pretty funny, but there are also a lot of things that dont belong up there.

Matt Costanzo said...

I think you tube does what it can to stop criminals from posting videos on their website. The article about the baby being launched is a great article. Youtube did take the video off of its website after the deviant teenager was caught however i believe parents should look more closely into what their children are doing on the internet. There's really no way of preventing the videos from making it to the internet, however if your stupid enough to post it then you deserve to get caught.

JinChuang(ITF) said...

Every coin has two sides and everything is not prefect. The youtube has brought people active aspects and also brought some disappointments for people who were crazy about it. Therefore more and more people are enjoying the videos on youtube. So I my mind that people just enjoy they could get and control themselves as possible as they could.