1 Ciara Herbert Professor Shiffard English 1010 11/02/2021 Should Teens be Allowed Access to YouTube? YouTube is among the popular sites where people can upload, watch and download content in video or audio format. Due to advancements in technology, people of different ages are able to access this content from the comfort of their home using smartphones, computers or tablets. However, some of the content creators post content that encourages nudity and use of harmful drugs. On the other hand, there are very good tutorials that one can rely on to cook, play instruments, solve mathematic problems, troubleshoot electronic devices, and be informed on anything one wishes to know about. It is also a source of income to many teens who are passionate about content creating. Due to the positive and negative effects of YouTube, an argument arises where it is good to allow kids to access YouTube on their own without parental guidance. Parents and guardians are unable to track what their kids are watching on YouTube since they can access anything they want on the platform anytime they need it. The YouTube algorithm is designed to direct the user to similar content. This implies that if a teen accesses a nude scene or a scene where people are abusing drugs, there are high chances that the algorithm will direct the teen to more videos with similar content. Despite YouTube’s importance to teens such as digital media literacy, allowing creativity, collaborative learning and a good way to earn money it also poses a threat to them due to easy access unregulated mature content and misinformation. 2 YouTube contains an infinite number of genres and videos at a click of a button. In essence, it is expected that YouTube can have many videos due to its huge customer base. According to Moor, Heuvel man & Velour (2010), YouTube contains amazing videos which are tailor-made to meet the individual expectations of their consumers. There are many content videos in the YouTube database related to consumer needs. For instance, when searching about a certain cooking recipe, many content videos will come up. These videos guide the consumers step by step into the outcome. If not satisfied with one content, the consumer has the leeway to try several videos until they get the right one. Also, YouTube provides visual aids that most people find enjoyable when learning. Compared to other platforms like Google, YouTube gives the consumer the ability to see and identify every type of ingredient used in the process of a certain cooking recipe. Also, YouTube provides an engaging platform whereby the consumer can connect with other like-minded consumers from all over the world through discussions and conversations. The comments section of YouTube provides a platform for fruitful engagements. The consumer can ask questions through this section to seek clarification. In addition, YouTube is easy to incorporate and use. The only basic requirement is a stable network connection and access to computer gadgets like cell phones, tablets, or laptops. YouTube provides suggestions based on past activities, thus making it easy to use. For example, if a consumer searching for a certain cooking recipe never liked the video, more video suggestions with the same content line below the first video. In essence, the consumer has leverage in deciding the best content to domesticate. The consumer gets access to untapped knowledge through this feature. Similarly, the consumer can freely switch to content creation in case they are happy with her final product. 3 However, other people feel that YouTube is overrated of it its diverse content. According to Lafley & Martin (2017), since most companies like YouTube invest a lot of money and time trying to convince customers with appealing products like YouTube ads, consumer loyalty is generally overrated. In essence, these products compel consumers to consume the products more readily. Also, most users prefer using Google than YouTube because they are looking for textbased and fast answers. However, the same users go to YouTube for detailed explanations from a certain topic. For instance, when checking out an egg cooking recipe, Google provides a quick answer on how to go through the process. In comparison, YouTube offers several options with detailed explanations that guide the consumer step by step. Also, other people feel that YouTube does not pull the right videos every time. According to one of the respondents, YouTube sometimes pulls irrelevant videos than what the consumer wants. However, based on my experience, YouTube pulls videos related to the past history of the consumer. Also, YouTube contains policies and guidelines that rule against obscenity. According to YouTube (2018), there are various rules and guidelines maintaining the community's safety, and any creator who violates them will be permanently banned from the platform. Therefore, consumers must report any inappropriate content on the platform for necessary action. However, Google contains a lot of stuff whereby anything can be literary found. Google provides easy and quick access to work, thus allowing the same group members to collaborate in real-time. In other words, a consumer can browse all products and services needed, including videos that may also be contained by YouTube. YouTube consumers have limited choice compared to Google consumers because videos are only expected on YouTube, while Google offers more than videos. Based on my personal experience, Google provides multiple search results from different domain names, thus providing diversity to the consumer. Finally, Google is 4 beneficial to our daily lives through applications like Google maps which provide us with directions, refer us to our places of interest, update our traffic information, show images of locations and routes. To access relevant videos on YouTube, the consumer needs to be specific when typing the bar. In most cases, YouTube suggests videos for the consumer based on the previous search history in that account. Therefore, the consumer needs to be deliberate in what they want to consume because it will affect the future contents to be displayed. Google and YouTube are quite similar in a certain way. Google considers the use of videos integral in providing answers, and for that reason, YouTube videos appear among other results on a particular search. In other words, YouTube is an extension of Google. Overall, YouTube is effective than Google because it is relatively easier to use and has many consumers. All things considered, in my opinion YouTube is still good for collaborations, earning money, and teaching however there is still some creators that post violence and comment inappropriate things. I enjoy watching positive YouTube videos. The good outweigh the bad. I would strongly suggest anyone that enjoys learning new things to utilize YouTube because it as videos from cooking, learning, and getting crafty ideas. Some may disagree. YouTube is a platform that allows creators to showcase their creativity and live stream. In my opinion it’s the best platform there is. 5 References Moor, P. J., Heuvelman, A., & Verleur, R. (2010). Flaming on youtube. Computers in human behavior, 26(6), 1536-1546. Lafley, A. G., & Martin, R. L. (2017). Customer loyalty is overrated. Harvard Business Review, 95(1), 45-54. YouTube. (2018, June 19). Creating with common sense: YouTube community guidelines. https://youtu.be/BL9galjJqHk 6 
Purchase answer to see full attachment