This blogpost focuses on Henry Jenkin’s May 28th, 2007 web blogpost focused on YouTube’s

Henry Jenkins is the Provost’s Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. This blogpost examined YouTube’s “future” effect on society and the possibilities and concerns that it presents to individuals and groups in 2007. In his blogpost, Jenkins presented nine propositions. Number 4 in particular interested me because I think that now, most of my navigation to YouTube is based on social networks sharing videos gaining more awareness and more circulation. Here is what he said:

4. YouTube’s value depends heavily upon its deployment via other social networking sites — with content gaining much greater visibility and circulation when promoted via blogs, Live Journal, MySpace, and the like. While some people come and surf YouTube, it’s real breakthrough came in making it easy for people to spread its content across the web. In that regard, YouTube represents a shift away from an era of stickiness (where the goal was to attract and hold spectators on your site, like a roach motel) and towards an era where the highest value is in spreadability (a term which emphasizes the active agency of consumers in creating value and heightening awareness through their circulation of media content.)

I find what Jenkins says to be very true. YouTube has changed the way videos are shared and how ideas are circulated on the internet. The most recent video craze in my knowledge is the YouTube video, “Sh** girls say” which has now caused this chain reaction of videos to “Sh** [insert any group or individual] say.” Personally, I think YouTube is dependent on the social networking sites in what Jenkins refers to as the highest value of spreadability. Most of the time I find myself encountering new YouTube videos via facebook, email and Twitter. Rarely do I go to the YouTube site and browse for popular videos unless I know exactly what video I have in mind that I want to see.

Example of social networking sharing (Facebook) below:

Here is the link to the first viral video to the series “Sh** [insert group or individual] say”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-yLGIH7W9Y

*Bloggers Note: I do not take credit for this video I am sharing. I am posting it merely as a fair use resource to reinforce my understanding of Henry Jenkin’s web blogpost.

Today, the internet provides endless possibilities to share information. Jenkins focused primarily on YouTube in his blogpost, but now it would be interesting to see responses or results on how media circulation on the internet is now, not primarily focused on how long the user stays on the site, but how many times the user watches the video or reads the information on many sites.