News24 | YouTube at 20: From viral videos to a global cultural powerhouse

• The first video ever uploaded YouTube turned 20 years old on Wednesday 23 April.
• The Google-owned video-sharing platform has billions of active users monthly.
• YouTube has evolved into a major player in the tech, television and podcast arena. 

Few 20-year-olds can say they're worth billions of dollars and have a network of over two billion people. But YouTube can - and does.

"It's been disruptive and transformative for the industry," Michael Markovitz, head of the GIBS Media Leadership Think Tank, told News24.

In March, during a conference to showcase the platform's most significant developments in Switzerland, Pedro Pina, the vice-president of YouTube for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said their 2024 impact report found that the revenue generated from the platform's creator economy was equivalent to 185 000 full-time jobs in the EU in 2023.

"Our mission has been to give everyone a voice and show them the world," he said.

READ MORE | YouTube's first video turns 20: Revisiting the groundbreaking platform's early days

Over two decades, YouTube has reshaped how we consume media, understand the world and engage with public figures: Elusive Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio launched his channel this year. 

"Hi, welcome to my YouTube channel" is embedded in our cultural lexicon.

Since the advent of YouTube, unboxing, viral, mukbang, and ASMR have taken new meanings.

Pina said:

For millions, YouTube isn't just a website. It's a mirror, a lifeline.

A home away from home

"I'm a queer person of colour; when I was struggling with my sexuality, I found answers and people like me on YouTube," Renaldo Schwarp told News24. 

Schwarp is an award-winning video and content strategist with over a decade of experience in South African newsrooms and broadcast studios.

"It allowed us to find community, especially for marginalised groups; YouTube became a brand where you can find a community and find yourself in that community," he said.

Lasizwe Dambuza, Ryan Lombard, Mpoomy Ledwaba and Macgyver (MacG) Mukwevho have accelerated their careers and earnings because of the video-sharing platform. 

With low barriers to entry, the platform has democratised screen time, transforming passive viewers into active creators.

However, Schwarp flagged that the "flip side" of the low barriers of entry was that those with ill intent could as easily upload their content.

'Safety is a priority; our policies are always evolving'

The Google-owned company has often had to address concerns about hate speech, safety, and copyright.

"We've listened to feedback from creators and viewers and continued building our trust and safety system," Colin Goulding, vice-president of trust and safety, told News24 at a media presentation in Zurich.

In 2015, YouTube launched a children's app, YouTube Kids, with age-appropriate videos and parental controls.

The task is mammoth, ongoing and requires a systematic approach. Content that violates policy guidelines is detected through AI software and engineers.

"Because free expression is at the root of our platform, we generally lean toward leaving content up rather than taking it down. But we do acknowledge what happens in the world happens on YouTube, and the world moves fast."

Five hundred hours of content is loaded every minute on YouTube.

"That's why we don't do this ourselves. We partner with external experts and YouTube creators, and we listen to the community as we think through the risks that are happening online."

Video killed the Hollywood star

Although it seemed the digital world had moved from the living room and scheduled viewing because of the dominance of smartphones and tablets, the tide is turning.

At the top of the year, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan said YouTube is the new television.

Smart TVs have become the primary viewing device in the US, even for YouTube Shorts. YouTube is morphing into a noticeable player in television globally.

"Creators are becoming more and more part of the start-ups of Hollywood ... YouTubers are creating their own studios. They have their script writers, video editors, social media managers, accountants and personnel," said Pina.

And as the platform grows, so do conversations around dominance, regulation and how it will impact traditional media in the future. 

"The one thing that we know is that the internet is going to become more and more of a dominant media platform [in the future]," said Markovitz.

Like every 20-year-old, YouTube is growing, ambitious, forging full-steam ahead and has its eyes firmly set on the future.

Nokuthula was in Switzerland courtesy of Google and YouTube EMEA, which hosted a two-day conference to celebrate YouTube's 20th anniversary.