Practicum #6

As the semester comes to an end and I have a lot of papers to write, I've noticed a new way that I have been using YouTube - research.  As a Com Arts major, a lot of my classes focus on different parts of media.  I just had to write a paper about a specific seen from the film Point Blank.  I didn't want to have to go out and buy or rent the the movie, so I was able to find the scene I needed on YouTube.  For a different class, I needed to look at several clips and interviews with Dave Chappelle, so I instantly went to YouTube.  I'll never put it as a reference on a paper, but I use it all of the time.  It also conflicts with a few issues we have discussed in class.  Firstly, it really is a great example of collective intelligence, where everyone can both post and access all of the information on the site.  Secondly, it runs into some issues of the copyright laws - I'm sure that the majority of the videos I watched weren't authorized to be reposted.  But nonetheless, all of the information is there, whether its a clip from a 1967 movie or a replay of last night's playoff basketball game.