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A couple of decades earlier, learning a new skill was time-consuming and often simply not worth our while. But then along came the Internet, and before we knew it we had countless volumes of information at our fingertips. YouTube takes that concept even further by offering up videos-on-demand that show us in incredible detail how to do virtually anything worth doing, step-by-step, and in color.
Whether you need to learn how to install a light switch, change the thermostat in your vehicle or perform one of the thousands of other tasks, you’ll likely find multiple videos that will show you precisely what you need to do in order to get the job done as quickly, efficiently and cheaply as possible.
YouTube is the second largest social media platform after Facebook. It was invented in 2005 and purchased by Google in 2006. It is a video-sharing search engine available in nearly a hundred countries. People from across the globe upload videos of their choices and attract viewers of their interests. Since its invention, it has become the second-largest search engine after Google. It offers movies, songs, news, comedy, science and technology, and educational material that engages people of all ages. People watch this Platform for billions of hours and generate billions of dollars. It has also been claimed that YouTube has generated $19.7 billion in revenue in the current year.
70 percent of people watch YouTube from their mobile devices. The male and female ratio of YouTube is 11:9. In a report, it has also been recorded that 54 percent of them are male and 46 percent female. The most watched channels on YouTube belong to comedy, with 77 percent of users. The report has also stated that every visitor checks nine pages on average once he steps into YouTube. As per the Statista report of 2022, YouTube has more than 5.1 million active channels which offer different programs. It is astounding that YouTube has more than 100 local versions in over 80 languages.
In this age of digital transformation, YouTube earned enormous fame exclusively during the pandemic when education converted from classrooms to online mode. People now preferred smart-learning techniques rather than visiting institutions personally. YouTube opened up a new horizon in education. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), Edx, Udacity, and others have converted online courses that can be accessed via YouTube. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford have already converted their courses online, which can be accessed via YouTube. It has a wide variety of content, from entertainment to education.
Many experts have launched channels that offer online lectures and tutorials. YouTube is a source of income for technical, vocational, and skills education. Now people in different disciplines prepare online courses and upload them on their channels, attracting millions of users. The world has become a global village; whatever is happening in other corners, you will find it. It is an excellent source of information. MIT and Harvard Universities have become an active part of edX for online lectures, which are available for students of all ages.
Free education is the need of every individual and YouTube plays a tremendous role in free education. Some informative search engines that offer comprehensive courses via YouTube are Canvas Network, Coursera, Cognitive Class, Inversity, Future Learn, Khan Academy, Kadenze, Udemy, and Udacity, etc. These courses offer online learning, counseling, diplomas, and degrees. In the last few years, the use of audio-visual material has made teaching methods effective and the present generations are taking a keen interest in this smart learning.
YouTube is, undoubtedly, a place of smart learning. To make it more effective, students should engage in quality courses that enhance their educational and career growth. It provides a free institution that offers extensive courses without spending a penny. Mere readings from textbooks and remembering them are not a good idea. It is YouTube that makes you a critical thinker and teacher in your subject. YouTube harnesses education and classroom teaching. It helps in your educational skills, and shows which courses are fruitful for our students that make them creative and active learners.
The platform has a significant impact on the education and learning experience of students. Someone has rightly said that you always enjoy YouTube. Students of different disciplines should make use of it in a positive manner. Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube, has expressed on her website that;
“Our hope is to support those who use YouTube to share their knowledge with the world and the millions of the users who come to our platform to learn”.
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