Twenty years ago on April 23, the first video was posted to YouTube: a 19-second clip of a man’s visit to the San Diego Zoo.

Today, YouTube has evolved from a novelty with videos of zoo trips, quirky animated shorts or skits, and funny moments in everyday life to a cultural institution, becoming a go-to source for entertainment, news and education — not to mention an important medium for advertising. As YouTube has become more entrenched in our lives, discussions around its impact on mental health and media literacy — as well as its power in reaching consumers — have also evolved.

MSU experts can comment on the ways YouTube has changed our society and what it means for how we communicate and consume media.

News reporting and consumption

Dan Hiaeshutter-Rice, assistant professor of advertising and public relations in the MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences, studies how technology influences political communications and how algorithms and behavior influence content.

Contact: dhrice@msu.edu

“YouTube has provided a robust platform for diverse political voices and has allowed for personal stories, political expression and community building. At the same time, its technical structure has allowed for users to unwittingly expose themselves to extreme and radicalized content, further complicated by the nature of how YouTube recommends other videos and channels it thinks you might be interested in. Its nature also allows for parasocial relationships between content creators and their viewers, often spilling over into other domains such as Reddit and TikTok. These communities of likeminded individuals can build strong relationships and networks but also can serve as echo chambers that amplify misinformation and extremist rhetoric.”

Dante Chinni is a research specialist in MSU’s School of Journalism and is the director of the American Communities Project in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. He is also a political journalist and can discuss how YouTube has influenced news consumption and reporting.

“In 20 years, YouTube has gone from being a novelty to an important player in the world of news and journalism, and its rise as a media outlet follows the larger story of changes in news consumption. Increasingly, people understand reality through prisms defined by web-browsing habits and algorithms. YouTube is a big part of that ecosystem.

Media literacy

Anjana Susarla is the Omura-Saxena Professor in Responsible AI at the MSU Broad College of Business. An expert on technology policy, social media regulation and misinformation, Susarla’s studies on social media and health literacy have been published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research and MIS Quarterly, one of the top information systems journals. She also wrote about how biases in algorithms hurt those looking for information about their health for The Conversation.

Email: asusarla@broad.msu.edu

“An estimated 93% of adults in the United States access the internet, with up to 80% looking for health information. However, only 12% of U.S. adults are proficient enough in health literacy to interpret health information and make informed health care decisions meaningfully. YouTube has billions of visits from users worldwide and has been very impactful in shaping online conversations as well as beliefs and opinions. With the vast amount of health information available in multimedia formats on social media platforms such as YouTube, there is an urgent need and a unique opportunity to design an automated approach to curate online health information using multiple criteria to meet the health literacy needs of a diverse population.”

Jacob T. Fisher, assistant professor of communication in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, studies how and why we pay attention to various forms of digital media messaging. He also researches social media and mental health.

Contact: jtf@msu.edu

“YouTube has undeniably had a huge influence on the modern media environment. The platform provides billions of people around the world with a powerful tool for learning and entertainment and has contributed to a great deal of democratization in both media creation and consumption. However, there is evidence that over-reliance on YouTube and other video platforms may have negative consequences on attention and information processing, especially in a multitasking context.

“The platform’s algorithmically curated, engagement-optimizing design presents an additional challenge by often prioritizing attention-grabbing, sensationalized content over more substantive material, making critical evaluation skills increasingly necessary — especially for more vulnerable populations like children and the elderly. These risks can be mitigated by implementing intentional viewing strategies to avoid overuse, retaining a healthy skepticism about content reliability, and making sure to take time away from the platform to focus on rest, creative pursuits and connecting directly with friends and loved ones.

“It remains critical that YouTube and other digital platforms provide increased transparency and access to internal data pertaining to usage patterns and associated outcomes, especially as it relates to potential harms such as overuse, misinformation and mental health concerns.”

Education

Christine Greenhow is a professor of educational psychology and educational technology in the College of Education. Her research focuses on learning in social media contexts.

Contact: greenhow@msu.edu

“Today, YouTube is the most popular social media among U.S. adults and teens, ages 13-17, and not just for entertainment or marketing but also for learning. People turn to YouTube to learn anywhere, anytime. They tune into free tutorials, academic lectures, even courses to supplement or bridge gaps in traditional education and share those resources with others. Teachers, too, use YouTube to supplement instruction, bringing videos of complex concepts into classrooms, providing historical footage, showing experiments, or uploading their own videos to customize their teaching for students.  Over the past 20 years, social media like YouTube have transformed how, where, when and with whom people learn.”

Business and marketing

Ayalla Ruvio, associate professor of marketing in the MSU Broad College of Business is an expert on the psychology of consumers’ shopping behaviors. She can comment on how YouTube has impacted how consumers engage with brands — and how brands market to consumers.

Contact: aruvio@broad.msu.edu

“In recent years, we have seen a major shift in consumer behavior as they move away from conventional marketing toward more direct and authentic interactions with brands. This shift has forced brands to seek new and more effective ways to connect with consumers. YouTube has provided such an alternative, driving brands to turn to influencers and consumer-generated content to establish authenticity and build trust with consumers. These marketing strategies are critical for brands aiming to remain relevant and connect with today’s savvy audience.”