Survey and results
Survey of 102 peoples
(This feature is not supported and has been removed by ThinkQuest.)
One hundred and two people participated in our survey. We conducted this survey because we wanted to know what people did while they were on YouTube and how it may or may not affected them. A majority of the people were 16-19 years old. Of the people we surveyed, only ten of them were in the age group 13-15 and fifty five of them were in the age group 16-19. The remaining twenty one respondents were twenty years old and older. We asked those surveyed questions pertaining to their experiences on YouTube to see if the web site truly did affect them or anyone they know.
The first question we asked was “How much time do you spend on YouTube?” Seventy people out of the one hundred and two stated they spend less than two hours a day on YouTube, which suggests that teenagers are not staying in front of the computer staring at videos all day.
We also asked “What are the categories of videos you watch most often on YouTube?” Fifty six people agreed that entertainment is the main reason they go to this website. This substantiated the fact that YouTube is mainly known as a center of entertainment. This supports our theory because young adults and children use the site to keep themselves entertained while there is nothing to do around the house. But having so many entertainment videos on YouTube may also cause children to be distracted from doing their school work and or chores. There were other answers that our survey takers could have chosen such as comedies, educational and fight videos. The category for educational videos was voted as the least viewed videos. This might have been because it’s the least entertaining or the respondents just don’t think of YouTube as an “educational site”. When asked “Does YouTube keep you from doing your work to the best of your ability,” eighty one people answered no and nineteen said that it did. We were amazed by this response, because our hypothesis was that many teens are being distracted. We question whether those being surveyed had an accurate appraisal of their behavior.
“Have you ever learned anything from YouTube?” According to our survey it is possible to learn certain things from YouTube. Some people use the site to learn how to install different applications on their cell phones or to jailbreak their iPod Touch (among other illegal technological tasks). Others use the site to help them with college reports, cooking and other tasks of personal interest. Even though YouTube does teach children different concepts, it may also distract them from doing what they’re supposed to do such as homework and other activities. While this survey does not indicate they are being distracted, there is some anecdotal evidence that suggests otherwise.
We also inquired “Does what you see on YouTube affect the way you think or behave?” We were surprised when eighty people said no and only nineteen replied yes. This was shocking because for the 2009 presidential elections, people used YouTube to view the presidential debates online. They also viewed speeches that both of the candidates placed on YouTube. This was clearly a tactic to attract a younger audience. Those videos helped the public view the candidates and they were able to learn different platforms which assisted them in deciding who to vote for. There are also many senseless videos on YouTube. As one person commented, “it makes me realize how stupid and idiotic some people could get... or to what extent their [boredom] can take them lol”. One prime example is someone on YouTube lighting their fart on fire. Those surveyed were able to view the irrational actions people perform on YouTube. While not indicated on our survey, there have been reports that some people try to copy what they see on the video that at times may not be safe. Examples include lighting clothes on fire and smoking Smarties (candy). Yes. Smoking Smarties.
We are currently conducting a survey.
We value your feedback, and would appreciate if you took a few moments to respond to some questions.
(This feature is not supported and has been removed by ThinkQuest.)
