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YouTube Communication Structures

  • Guidelines for editing this document: Use numbers for visible, evident, obvious structures
Bullets for outcomes of those structures

If an outcome is produced by combination of structures, list all the structures and the outcome in one bullet in the "notable consequences" section.

Separate sections for lists of "possibilities"

Separate sections for Uploaders, Producers, Viewers, and Interaction (add more as necessary)


The structures of communication are going to be central to the whole project.
How do people communicate via YouTube?
How does it differ from basic face-to-face communication?
And how does this affect the “culture” or the type of “community” that can be formed on YouTube.

Basic Summary of Structures
  • Self-construction & presentation is not in real time. It can be prepared, scripted, edited, etc.
  • Self-construction & presentation is in interaction with an imagined audience (not a present one)
    • That imagined audience may include yourself (both today's self and the imagined selves of the future).
  • The viewer cannot be viewed, so there are no social expectations while viewing.
    • Viewer response can also be prepared, scripted, edited, etc.
  • "Conversation" is one way, delayed, or non-existent (perhaps more a series of "speech acts" not a typical "conversation"
    • There is no continuous and synchronous paralaguange such as affirmation or talk-back
  • Video quality is low and pixelated

Notable consequences:
  1. Haters can exercise unrestricted hate and face minimal (if any) social consequences.
  2. Physical distance of time and space + no social expectations while viewing allow viewers to "see the humanity" of those they might otherwise ignore in meatspace.
  3. Facial expressions are emphasized at the expense of other paralanguage
    • Majority of users are either choosing to emphasize their face, or neglecting to realize they can film their upper bodies and utilize their hand paralanguage (i.e an example of form shaping content, or more specifically, the perception of form shaping content).
  4. Vloggers seem to feel the judgments of the entire world
    • This is seen in their recognition of how often they say "um" or "like" and how they should work on that; also they often end with something like: "come back or subscribe if you like what I talk about, but you don't have to if you think I'm completely stupid (nervous laugh here)"
  5. No synchronous paralanguage.
    • no immediate social mirror
      • Asynchornicity enables the producer to reflect on/modify their own communicative habits.
    • No real sense of proxemics
      • Proxemics are arguably still present, but are reflected in a different relationship than experienced in organic communication
        • i.e. human-camera rather than human-human



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Uploaders:
Uploader controls & limitations
  1. Uploader chooses username - can hide/alter name/identity
  2. Uploader uploads video and chooses title, description, category, and tags.
  3. Uploader can remove video
  4. Uploader chooses private or public broadcast
  5. Uploader chooses "sharing options": comments on/off, comment ratings, video responses, ratings, embedding, syndication
  6. Uploader can also add advertisements on top of the video.
  7. Middle frame is shown on searches (uploader can change to 1/4th or 3/4th frame)
  8. Uploader can search for specific videos

Uploader outcomes
  • Your tags become icons/logos providing the first window into your message
  • Both titles and tags do not necessarily correspond to actual content
    • Tags can therefore be manipulated, and have their meaning distorted in the process (this promotes language change)
  • Uploader can "retract" statements by taking down a video

Emerging "Best Practices" of Vloggers (This should probably be its own page)
  1. Eye contact is important. it is taboo to watch oneself on screen too often, even though the eye contact is less stimulating for the producer
    • beginning vloggers often note out loud that they should look at the camera more

Promotional Possibilities
  1. You can use video responses to link with popular video to promote yourself
  2. You can also post in subscriber pages comments to promote yourself
  3. You can promote yourself overtly or covertly in text comments
  4. Can create multiple fake accounts and post messages in support of your video.
  5. Well-tagged or cleverly titled videos may catch on to more viewers more easily, quicker rates
    • Incognito marketers, hidden messages: marketing becomes viral
      • Example: lonelygirl15 as guerilla launch for online TV-series
  6. Communication can take place under an advertising banner.
  7. Can videos have significant meaning without popularity?
  8. Fame & anonymity- unlike with television stars that are icons of popular culture, we know nothing more about the people we view on youtube than they choose to reveal to us.
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Producers:
Video production controls & limitations
  1. Producer controls the vantage point from which viewers see video subject.
  2. If you are a savvy video editor you can alter your voice, your looks, and even your environment.
  3. The message can be pre-scripted easier (throughout before-hand) than face-to-face communication.
  4. 10 minute limit (unless you have an older youtube account, pre-restricting time limit, or have been authorized otherwise)

Possibilities for Video Producers based on these controls and limitations:
  • You may be as authentic or fake as you like (ie- "lonelygirl").
  • Good tubers (esp. good vloggers) establish intimacy through eye-contact with viewer by looking at webcam
  • Facial expressions are emphasized at the expense of other paralanguage
  • Like a child, you learn the techniques of communication. Though, unlike a child, you have insecurity and doubt.
  • You may discuss things you have seen by giving off the exact scene. (though experience is still lost, it is experienced in a way which may or may not be more objective) You may choose for your public message not to be publicly judged.comments
  • In taping friends and family, you can retell the story with exact quotes and visuals. (though they can be edited.)
  • Especially for vloggers, voice is extremely important (perhaps due to lack of soundtrack, which is found in all television...?)

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Viewer:
Viewer controls & limitations (and possibilities)
  1. Viewer chooses videos (videos are not "pushed" to them automatically).
    • People have to “click” you before they hear you speak (so they have a clear choice as to whether or not they will listen to you.)
  2. Viewer can also “click” the uploaded video off at any time.
    • without typical social consequence of a virtual "hand to the face"
    1. The view of the community is only available one video at a time.
      • The addition of the full-screen "node relationship" view may change this; the community can be drawn as a web of relations
    2. Viewer can "flag" content they feel is inappropriate.
      • The policing of the community is now done by the community.
    3. You must "sign in" to become aware of the increasing dialogue

    Viewer possibilites

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Interaction:
    1. Interaction structures of asynchronous video communication
    2. Viewers cannot interrupt uploaded material (cannot interject material in the middle).
    3. No synchronous paralanguage.
      • no immediate social mirror
        • Asynchornicity enables the producer to reflect on/modify their own communicative habits.
      • No real sense of proxemics
        • Proxemics are arguably still present, but are reflected in a different relationship than experienced in organic communication
          • i.e. human-camera rather than human-human
    4. Uploader does not know how many people (or who) will view material, and in what contexts (if they choose to upload video publicly)
    5. Time-depth: There is a running record of all interactions
      • but these can be deleted by user or administrator (banned)
    6. Vlogs are most often in English (find measure, numbers of English videos)
      • there is a potential language barrier (NOOB video) and perhaps some misconstrued messages
      • there is an inherent bias in the content of conversation due to an English dominated vlog discourse
    7. Viewers talk back with ratings, text comments, or video responses (if you are logged in)
    8. Text Responses: text comments are organized under the video by date and time
      • so a response to another comment can appear out of context, however comments can be responded to directly and appear as an indented response.
      • This parallels organic conversation in the sense that information and speakers can go unrecognized; the key difference between the two becomes not a difference in assertion (i.e. a speaker's willingness to voice their stance) but a result of form (i.e. time prioritized response history)
    9. Text comments to a video can lose visibility if the video is popular and comment heavy.
      • The most recent comments become the most relevant. Although they may not have the most merit.
    10. Videos can be recontextualized in the mediascape (eg. blogs) - away from video descriptions, ratings, etc.
      • Therefore, controversial videos or videos touching controversial topics may get more honors, responses and ultimately views
    11. Responses to a video do not always acknowledge other responses, rather they often stand alone.
      • Over time, video responses may change the intended target of the original video

    Interaction possibilities
    • The context of recording is not the context of receiving
    • The community is virtual, not physical; although vloggers have been known to meet in person!
    • Message must be strong in order to make impact with actual audience and shine through clutter of millions of other vloggers.
    • Marginal groups (i.e. transgendered, handicapped, or those with deformities) thrive on the internet- (see Bruce Bower) Vlogging through YouTube is a particularly effective way to build an otherwise non-existent community
      • - negative comments or response vlogs happen, but are generally 'shot-down' quickly by those in the community building a network of support
    • Vlogging can bring together virtual friends that may not have been friends in an everyday situation (i.e. jock and nerd), or meet different sets of people
      • People now getting married, procreating with first-time meeting being solely virtual
        • Therefore changing the anthropologic landscape across borders
    • You can show YouTube the details of where you live and what you do on a daily basis- insights that many of your "real" friends may not know about
    • Unlike TV (outside of movie channels) outright censorship of language is virtually non-existent
    • Free user accounts -- spread videos and messages costing little to nothing to produce & execute

    Potential Audience (technological access barriers)
    1. Transcends time and space
      • You can 'interact' with people all across the world as easily as you would vlogging with someone next door
      • You find commonalities with people you didn't know existed, from countries you have never been to (or maybe haven't even heard of!)
    2. Only those with a computer can view/hear your message.
    3. Some countries block YouTube (Brazil, Pakistan, China) limiting viewers.
      • see Wikipedia article on China's Golden Shield program (aka - The Great Firewall of China)
    1. High speed internet usually required to view longer movies.
    2. Popular videos picked up by traditional media (reference in newspaper, television)
      • Example: popular YouTube videos re-aired on national/local news stations
      • "Down-up" model of communication (users drive popularity to national attention)

    Functional Outcomes
    • Your conversation can last for 6 months, though there may be only a dozen exchanges
    • Instantaneous archive of all conversations (public and private).
      • Details of most verbal conversations are forgotten over time
      • The shelf-life of the video/message is potentially infinite.
    • Other members of the community can be privy to two-way or multiple/mass conversations
    • The vlogger's physical traits may hinder users from listening to your message (as indicated by the nature of the comments)
      • Perspective of active YouTube community members arguably influences their perspective of 'content' experienced throughout their daily lives (i.e. is this trip to the grocery store with filming/vlogging about)

      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


      Organization and Tags
      1. Video categories are similar to television/movie genres
      2. Stereotypes are now called "tags".

      Unsorted Observations:
      • It's more persecutable in the court of law.
        • Free speech is an illusion (videos can be pulled for copyright violation)
        • Any content which is criminally inclined such as content related to terrorism or its effects can face serious investigation, and perhaps "guilty until proven innocent" reaction from law enforcement for anyone found connected with the content.
      • You can get past the bouncer by showing no id and pressing a magic button called "confirmed".
      • Viewers, especially new viewers, expect content to be similar to television
      • - Even the "Tube" of YouTube is derived from archetypal origins (vacuum tubes in television).
      • No regular commercial interruptions- this can be actually positive or negative for viewers accustomed to television.
      • Individuality of experience vs. shared social experience of television.
      • Profit is not necessarily the goal of the video creator.
      • Never before have so many hours of both professional and amateur stock footage been available for public viewing/use/creative commons purposes.


      Can we organize these into broader categories? ? ?
      (possibly adapting the different types of biases)
      • intellectual and emotional biases based on symbolic forms
      • spatial, temporal, and sensory biases based on physical structure
      • political biases based on accessibility of symbolic forms
      • social biases based on different types of social situations created by physical form
      • metaphysical biases due to the way they organize time and space
      • content biases based on symbolic and physical forms
      • all of this adds up to different epistemological biases



        Latest page update: made by Jessiestone , Mar 21 2008, 2:00 PM EDT (about this update About This Update Jessiestone Edited by Jessiestone

        13 words added

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        Keyword tags: communication YouTube
        More Info: links to this page

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        Jessiestone new page 0 Mar 10 2008, 8:43 PM EDT by Jessiestone
        Jessiestone
        Thread started: Mar 10 2008, 8:43 PM EDT  Watch
        hey all! i added a page to this one called "YouTube Categories" where we can try to sift out different ways of grouping into broader categories...
        Do you find this valuable?    
        Keyword tags: communication YouTube
        Jessiestone what to do 1 Mar 10 2008, 5:23 PM EDT by mwesch
        Jessiestone
        Thread started: Mar 10 2008, 12:52 PM EDT  Watch
        so, how can we shape this up to where we want it?
        Do you find this valuable?    
        Keyword tags: communication YouTube
        Show Last Reply
        Melmak Pragmatics 0 Mar 6 2008, 4:51 PM EST by Melmak
        Thread started: Mar 6 2008, 4:51 PM EST  Watch
        more stuff on communication
        Andrew probably already knows something about this.
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pragmatics#Topics_in_pragmatics

        Do you find this valuable?    
        Keyword tags: communication YouTube
        rachcald Saving 0 Mar 5 2008, 8:56 AM EST by rachcald
        rachcald
        Thread started: Mar 5 2008, 8:56 AM EST  Watch
        I did more work yesterday, but then could save it because wetpaint was doing maintenance. I redid what I could.
        1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
        Keyword tags: communication YouTube

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