Is YouTube Social Media?

It can be challenging to keep up with all the new and upcoming social media platforms. What is social media? Maybe you want to learn how to use social media personally and professionally. Learn more about YouTube regarding the content that can be shared on this platform and other purposes. Would you consider YouTube social media? Some may consider YouTube to be a social media platform, but let’s take a deep dive before making our conclusion. 

What is Social Media?

Social media is a platform where users can share information or content with other users on the platform. The purpose of these platforms is to facilitate an environment where users can share their ideas, thoughts, and information through their content. Content on social media can vary between text posts, images, videos, links, and multimedia content. A common feature amongst many social media platforms includes the ability for other users to add their opinions and interact with content in the forms of comments, likes, saves, and reposts.  

Social Media Features

Before determining whether YouTube is social media, it is essential to understand the characteristics of social media and what it classifies as social media. Key features of social media include:

• User generated content (UGC) –Users on the social media platforms create and share their original content in the form of text posts, photos, videos, and links.
• Interactivity –Other users are able and encouraged to interact with shared content through likes, comments, shares, and direct messaging.
• Networking –Social media's ability to make connections through the platform is a crucial feature. Users can connect with other family members, friends, colleagues, and classmates. These platforms allow for random connections between people with similar interests or mutual friends/followers.
• Communication –Social media allows for real-time conversations to occur. Users can provide instant updates to inform others about current events and trends. Many social media platforms include a private or direct message option, allowing users to have private conversations within the platform.
• Community building –Social media platforms should foster environments where users can find their niche and community groups. These groups can be divided based on specific interests or hobbies.

Types of Social Media Platforms

There are different types of social media platforms for other purposes. The format of content supported will vary between various platforms, and the intention behind each platform will vary. Some social media platforms are designed to encourage users to be authentic and unhinged, while others focus on building a professional environment within their platforms.

Social Media Categories With Examples:

• Blog and community platformssome text
  • Substack
  • Discord

• Message and Image Sharing Platforms some text
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
• Discussion forumssome text
  • Reddit
  • Quora
• Live streaming and videosome text
  • TikTok
  • Twitch
• Social Networking sitessome text
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • X (formerly known as Twitter)

YouTube

Now let's take a look at YouTube to see if and how it fits into social media. YouTube is a platform where users can share content as primary videos. Users on YouTube can upload, view, share, and comment on videos. Users can also post text, images, and even short-form videos. There are different aspects of YouTube content creation, as creators can publish content about anything. Content on YouTube can range from educational, professional, personal, news, animal, comedy, and many more topics. YouTube is one of the largest and most popular websites globally with over 2.49 billion monthly active users (Source: DataReportal 2023). Some of my favorite Youtube channels include Safiya Nygaard who makes a lot of makeup related videos including some of her popular ones where she mixes a bunch of lipsticks together, TheOdd1sOut who is a very talented and funny individual who tells his life stories through animation, and The Try Guys who are known for testing out a bunch of random activities such as baking pies without a recipe. 

Features Of YouTube

YouTube could be considered a social media platform based on the features they provide their users to create content. YouTube allows users to post long and short videos, they even have a separate feed for the different content such as the home screen which promotes the more traditional types of videos, a feed page for YouTube shorts, and a feed page showcasing YouTube live streams. YouTube creators can build their community through community posts. This allows creators to connect with their subscribers between video uploads. Communities are able to grow and become stronger as creators are able to build a loyal subscriber base and connect with their subscribers. Users can connect with other users based on their interests through community posts or comment sections. YouTube facilitates an environment where users are able to communicate and express themselves within the community. Users can subscribe to creators and interact with content using likes, dislikes, and comments, promoting interactions within their platform.   

Where Does YouTube Fit Amongst Social Media Platforms?

YouTube provides many features within the platform, such as the ability to livestream and create short-form videos called YouTube shorts. Creators can also build community posts that include text and images. This means that technically YouTube fits into many social media categories such as community platforms (YouTube Community posts) and live streaming and video social media platforms (YouTube Live, YouTube Shorts, & YouTube Videos). So while YouTube spans between community, live streaming, and video platforms, YouTube is most like a video sharing social media platform as that is YouTube’s primary use. 

Conclusion

In short, yes, YouTube is considered a social media platform due to the features the platform provides its users. Users can share their original content within the platform in various forms. Social media is designed to allow people to make connections and find their communities, which YouTube does by recommending content the user has shown interest in. Communities can strengthen through posts and areas in the platform where discussion is encouraged, such as the comment section. Users can interact with other users and even creators; they can have real-time and meaningful conversations. YouTube shares many interactive features with other social media platforms, as viewers are able to engage with the content through likes, dislikes, and comments. In conclusion, YouTube is considered a social media platform as it is one of the largest platforms globally, where users can create, share, and interact with content and virtual communities.

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