Open Access Kent State (OAKS)

Internet sites such as YouTube represent important changes in the way in which video content can be delivered. YouTube lets viewers access videos on demand and makes it easy for them to share videos with others. The unique nature of on-demand user-supplied video content is of particular interest to the electronic publishing community because of the relative ease with which videos can be produced, uploaded, and shared. Users are now active participants in the media distribution chain. Because users play an active role in the production, distribution, and receipt of YouTube’s media content (e.g., creating, sharing, and viewing), it is appropriate to examine YouTube use from an audience-centered perspective. One such approach is a theoretical framework called “uses and gratifications.” It is used in this study to look at how college students view and share news content on the YouTube Web site.