Online Entertainment

YouTube

YouTube’s vision is ‘to give everyone a voice’ and since 2005, when it was created, the popular video-sharing website YouTube has grown to hold thousands of millions of videos – but it is constantly growing. It is one of the biggest forms of Online Entertainment.

The benefits of YouTube

• It is free to become a member and upload your own videos, or view other peoples
• You don’t have to be a member to watch videos
• YouTube has become somewhat of a talent-spotter sight, as new talent can be published for the world to see and in some cases has landed people record deals after being ‘discovered’ over YouTube
• You can rate and comment on videos – giving feedback and allowing others to get an impression of the video, before necessarily watching it
• YouTube is available in 51 languages
• YouTube videos can be about anything and can be purely for amusement or instructional or to impress
• There are millions of videos to choose from
• You can listen to the latest music free on YouTube
• There is a YouTube app that can be downloaded onto mobiles, so it can be enjoyed anywhere
• Can be used at any time and by anyone
• An age restriction may be put on videos so that only users over 18 should watch them
• Comments can be removed by the person whose video they are on – and any abuse can be reported

The detriments of YouTube

• Because anyone can watch videos you upload, you cannot control how they are being enjoyed and whether or not it is in a way you are comfortable with
• Comments can be very hurtful and, even after they are removed; the user will have still seen them and may be hurt by what is said about them
• Videos about anything can be uploaded – including disturbing and inappropriate videos
• People who own the content of a video, e.g. a song, may be unhappy if people are using it without their permission
• Despite the age limit, people can still watch the videos if they choose to lie about their age

My Uses of YouTube

I think YouTube is a really good form of Online Entertainment, and can be enjoyed by anybody because there is something for everyone. I think it is great that someone can simply post a video and become an internet sensation overnight. I use YouTube quite a lot for listening to music, which is a great free method of hearing the latest songs, and have also seen a lot of funny videos. Being able to make people smile through a video is nice and so a communal place where people can share their videos is a wonderful idea. I do however think that people should be sure, before they upload a video, that they are happy for everyone to see it as it is beyond their control who watches it and what their opinion of it is. 

Spotify

Spotify is a music streaming service available online that allows users to listen to millions of songs. Spotify acts as a sort of online radio which you can tailor for you own music preferences.

The beneftits of Spotify

• You can access Spotify on your phone as well as your laptop, and many other devices, so can be enjoyed wherever and whenever
• You can search for songs by title, artist, genre or by record label; but there is also a new release section so you can find music you’ll enjoy that you’ve never have heard of before
• It is available for free
• Spotify acts as a music library and you can make your own playlists, and listen to millions of songs all kept in one place
• You can import Facebook friends
• You can share songs with your friends – so you can share with them the music you enjoy – legally
• You can send recommendations to friends, along with text, using the ‘inbox’ feature
• Spotify has a minimalist design and is easy to use

The detriments of Spotify

• There are adverts on Spotify which disrupt peoples listening and you can’t stop them
• Only premium members – a.k.a. paying users – can access Spotify on their mobiles
• The messaging via the ‘inbox’ feature is a one way system, users cannot directly respond to messages/recommendations they are sent
• You don’t actually own any of the music you listen to
• You can’t share entire playlists with your friends, only single songs at a time

My Uses of Spotify

I have actually never used Spotify first hand, so have no experience of how easy it is to use and of the overall quality of the service. A lot of my friends use it however, as a free way to enjoy music and make playlists of the songs they enjoy. One of my teachers also used to use it to play music in lessons and the songs were always of good quality – but the adverts were very annoying, especially when you were in between songs in an album. 

Online TV

Many popular channels have created sites where the TV the offer can be viewed, channels such as BBC with BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 with 4od, itv with itv player and channel 5 with channel 5. Online TV has allowed TV, which was already incredibly popular, to become an even more widespread method of entertainment.

The benefits of watching TV online

• Over the internet you can find shows you may not usually get on your TV
• You can watch the TV where you want as, if you are watching from a laptop, they are portable
• You can play/pause/replay the show how you want
• Many channels are not making their online TV sites available on mobiles
• For the most part, watching online TV is free and available for everyone with access to a computer
• You can watch your TV programmes wherever you are in the world
• If you missed the programme when it was broadcasted on TV, you could watch it on the online site for the channel it was on
• Some channels hold the episodes of entire series, so you can watch them all at once without missing any
• You can watch TV online at any time of the day or night

The detriments of watching TV online

• Illegal TV sites can spread viruses
• Online TV takes up internet bandwidth
• Some online TV channels might not work on certain computers or may involve an instalment of a programme that may be unwanted
• TV programmes may take a long time to load
• The sound/picture quality may not be as good as watching regular TV

My Uses of Online TV

I don’t watch TV online very often, but when I do it’s usually to catch up with a programme I have missed. I find it very useful. I have both 4od and itv player on my phone think they both work really well. I also enjoy using online TV to watch shows that I do not get on my TV. I do feel that, even though online TV has its and I feel they outweigh the disadvantages, I don’t think it would ever replace conventional TV for me. 

Second Life

Second life is an online 3D world where users lead virtual lives through personal avatars. It began in 2003, and has around a millions users. Online life-imitating games like ‘Second Life’ are very popular forms of online entertainment and are used all over the world.

The benefits of Second Life

• Second life provides people with social interaction with other users
• It is in 3D so visually quite impressive
• It is free to join
• Second life provides players, known as residents, with unofficial learning opportunities including the possibility of learning a foreign language
• Residents remain anonymous
• Residents partake in games and quests which keep Second Life exciting
• You can befriend people from all over the world
• The currency of Second Life – linden dollars (L$) – is actually worth money (exchange rate L$1,000 = US $4.16)
• Residents can create properties and own them
• Everyone is given the same ‘life opportunities’ so it doesn’t matter if you are disabled or under-privileged in real life as everyone is equal in Second Life
• It’s a virtual world

The detriments of Second Life

• It’s a virtual world
• There is a need to update software continuously
• You have to use headphones
• The game can sometimes be slow
• Some people become addicted to the game and begin to become confused about what is reality – their second life or their actual life. There have been cases where people actually fall in love with another resident in second life – even though they have never physically met
• Because Second life has so many features, you have to overcome a bit of a learning curve when you first start before you can really get into the game
• Residents can never really know who they are talking to/becoming friends with

My Uses of Second Life

I have never been on Second Life and, in fact, never heard of it before researching online entertainment. I have however, been reading about people who play these games and become obsessed with their second life – so much so, that it takes control over their life. I do however, believe these must be the extreme cases and that on the whole people can enjoy Second life safely for what it is – a form of entertainment. To some extent I can see the appeal of Second life – especially for those who don’t particularly enjoy/ thrive in reality – as it is a chance to live the way you dream, and look the way you want, and basically get a second chance at a life which you have almost complete control over. I do think that when playing life-imitating games it is important to remember that it is real life that is actually important and if at any point it becomes difficult for someone to differentiate between the two; they should probably review their priorities.