YouTube equals to freedom?

Recently, a mass communication student Wong Meng Chee (Namawee) who studies in Taiwan had caused a big stir with his Negarakuku rap video clip posted on YouTube. The six-minute long video clip on YouTube was claimed to have insulted and lowered the prestige of national anthem of Malaysia (The Star 2007). If Namawee did not apologise to the government, he would have been taken to the court and face the charges. YouTube is a good tool for anyone to be famous for 15 minutes or a million views, even a prairie whose five-second glare at the camera can make it popular (Ingram, M 2007). YouTube is such a miracle for everyone.



Founded in 2005, YouTube is a site where everyone can upload their videos and share the videos (YouTube 2007). Everyone can watch YouTube and everthing can be on YouTube. Perhaps that is the reason why Malaysian government banned Namawee’s video when they first discovered that it was posted on YouTube. Why is YouTube so popular?

Analysing the site, http://www.youtube.com/, the most eye-catching elements are the colourful images of plethora of clips. As stated by Jon Callow (1999), colours can create certain feelings for viewers as each colour has been associated with particular characteristic. Colours may attract the viewers to click on the certain clip. Moreover, the clips are segmented into different categories using frames. Framing which is a type of ‘visual grammar’ not only making the information set within the site more organised, it can also evoke responses (Walsh,M 2006). It is convenient for viewers to select their favourite clips from different categories.

I will usually type a topic in the ‘Search’ box provided on top of the page and all the clips related to the topic will be listed out instantly. It is very easy, fast, and convenient. I find it interesting, as YouTube is practising freedom of speech and of media. For Namawee’s case, Negarakuku has been posted on Youtube before it was banned. It proves that the media flow in between YouTube is free. For those who advocate free media, YouTube is a good tool.



References

Callow, J 1999, Image matters: visual texts in the classroom, Primary English Teaching Association, Marickville.

Ingram, M 2007, When a million hits won’t do it, viewed on 31 October 2007,
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071027.wyoutube27/BNStory/Technology/home

The Star Online, Student must face the law, Cabinet, however, accepts his apology, viewed on 31 October 2007,
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/8/17/nation/18614032&sec=nation


Walsh, M 2006, ‘textual shift’: examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts, Australian journal of language and literacy, vol.29, no.1, pp.24-37.

YouTube 2007, About YouTube, viewed on 31 October 2007,
http://www.youtube.com/t/about


YouTube 2007, Broadcast Yourself, viewed on 31 October 2007,
http://www.youtube.com/