Post #9: The Diffusion of Innovations Theory Takes On YouTube

YouTube has been one of the most popular websites for many years now. Some may argue that the overall popularity of YouTube is declining, but if we use Roger's Diffusion Theory, we can take a closer look to see if YouTube is still on top as the Critical Mass, or if it is in their maturation faze and are becoming less popular. The Diffusion Theory helps us to get a good grasp of how platforms, movements, ideas, and more, start out and then eventually either stay at the top, or fall and become less popular and unfamiliar. YouTube originally came out in 2005, ever since then, the platform has been top three of the most visited websites. 

YouTube can be used by all ages, but we are often seeing more and more adults and teenagers use the platform. The age group that uses and watches YouTube the most falls under the ages 15-35. This app became popular so fast, due to the fact that there was no easy way to post and share videos with people from around the world at the time. The early adopters that instantly got hooked to YouTube simply starting using the platform because it was the newest and coolest thing at the time. Even though YouTube is one of the fastest growing and most viewed platforms, there are many who choose not to even fool with YouTube, those people would be called the non-adopters. They may just see the negatives in the platform and they may find that other social media apps are better. For me personally, I watch YouTube very often, however, I do use Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook more than I watch YouTube. After the non-adopters, there are the late adopters. The late adopters will join YouTube or start a channel many years down the road. The reason for the differentiation of adopters is because YouTube changes constantly. If YouTube never changed and upgraded its content, then it would loose so many people and eventually be in the saturation phase of the Diffusion Theory. 

I believe that YouTube has gotten even bigger and more popular over the years. According to Global Media Insight, just from 2013, to 2020, YouTube has gotten more than 1.3 billion more users. So how did YouTube become so popular and how did YouTube become one of the most popular websites not only in the U.S., but in places like India, Brazil, and Japan? Well, YouTube allows people from all over the world to create and experiment on postable content. This website initially started out in the experimental phase, but it quickly went over the curve and through the uptake to become a critical mass. Some might say that the platform is starting to burn out and get less popular, but according to Newsweek, as for YouTube, "growth will only continue."