In the first class of semester, we have been introduced to Web 2.0. The ability to create, edit, share, and comment has never been more feasible than the last 5 years. Being digital natives, we know of its existence, we may use it in our everyday lives, but we may not quite understand the scale or magnitude of how it has impacted the current media landscape. The internet has brought people closer than ever and it has been affecting other forms of media particularly the more traditional platforms.

How media is being produced as well as consumed has to be reevaluated by the people who are constantly putting out content, be it online, broadcast, or print, because, let’s face it, almost any form of media could be migrated into an online form one way or another. I have been following this YouTube channel called, Mightycarmods, and it was created by these 2 guys from Sydney, Australia, producing how-to videos, documentaries, travel vlogs, and other content falling in the realms of automotive goodness. What entices me in watching their videos and hitting the ‘subscribe’ button is not only that I share a common interest in cars, but how their videos are being made. Since it’s mostly self funded with some support from a local car insurance company, everything else is more or less on their own.

If we were to breakdown the videos into its technical qualities, obviously it wouldn’t meet the mark of a Hollywood blockbuster film, but reasonable enough for people to have a very good grasp of what is going on on-screen. In an Q&A episode they did in 2012 (yes, they do entire episodes just answering questions posted on their forum by their fans every now and then), one of the frequently asked questions were how do they make their videos and what sort of equipment do they use. And they were using average video recording devices such as the Canon EOS 70D, a common tool in most youtubers’ inventory for making videos, just for the fact that it’s affordable and it can produce decent quality in terms of video recording. One thing they did stress though is SOUND, which many might overlook the fact that the sound quality of a video would affect its viewership. I do admit that I would get turned off by a video with very bad sound quality especially they have been recorded straight off from the built-in microphones on the camera which are not the world’s best sound recording devices.

Ten years later, and the channel has now grown to a whopping 2.6 million subscribers and has done a diverse range of projects from little bite sized mythbusting videos to feature length films all uploaded on their Youtube channel. The ability to exercise their freedom of creative thinking is definitely shown in their videos, and this is aided by the fact that they have no commitments to any networks, TV stations, investors (other than the one I’ve mentioned), or other financial heavy weights that might want to have a say in how they should run things. Having said that, they have been approached by Discovery network to broadcast their videos on one of their sister channels. Hence, you could say they’ve gone full cycle? From a little home made video producer, to network related content. Which is interesting to study as this could very well be the shape of the current media landscape where networks are approaching online content creators for their content and buying their rights to air them on television? I’m positive that there are many other youtubers who have been approached by networks to air their videos on television, the question is what goes into the fine lines of the contract between these youtube born stars and the networks.

Thinking of how fast technology is changing and advancing is always daunting. Every now and then I hear of new devices being put out by tech giants and the capabilities of these devices are astonishing. Can’t help but to wonder where do I fit in this ever changing space, as cliche as it sounds, I guess only time will tell.