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YouTube[3] is a global online video-sharing platform founded by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. The platform allows users to upload, view, share, and comment on a wide variety of video content. Since its creation, YouTube has grown exponentially, setting significant milestones like reaching over a million daily videos watched and 48 hours of new videos uploaded per minute. Its business model revolves around generating revenue from advertisements and paid content, including a subscription-based service called YouTube Premium for ad-free viewing. The platform also offers a range of video categories, impacting popular culture, internet[4] trends, and creating celebrities. However, it has faced criticism for issues like misinformation and copyright[2] violations. Technologically, YouTube supports various video codecs and resolutions, and it introduces features for improved user experience[1]. The platform is localized in over 100 countries, offering features for areas with slow internet connectivity.

Terms definitions
1. ↑ user experience. User Experience (UX) is a broad term that encompasses every aspect of an end-user's interaction with a company, its services, or its products. This includes users' perceptions and responses, both emotional and cognitive, during and after the use of a system, product, or service. User Experience also involves users' beliefs, preferences, and behaviors. While usability, a component of UX, focuses on the practical aspects of a system, UX incorporates a holistic view of system use. User experience is a vital factor in increasing brand loyalty and customer base growth. Its history dates back to the Machine Age, with notable contributions from figures like Frederick Winslow Taylor, Henry Ford, and Donald Norman. Today, technology advancements continue to shape and expand the field.Developer Experience (DX) is the analog of UX for software developers. It represents the experience developers have with the tools, processes, and software they use in their work. A high-quality DX can significantly impact the overall user experience, thus contributing to the success of the product. The importance of DX is increasingly recognized in the field of software services, where ease of use can serve as a key market differentiator. This concept has been explored by various authors and researchers, and it's also emphasized in international standards like ISO 9241-210, which advocates for human-centered design.
2. ↑ copyright. Copyright is a legal term that provides the creator of an original work exclusive rights to its use and distribution, typically for a limited period of time. This concept originated in England, with the passage of the Licensing of the Press Act in 1662 and the Statute of Anne in 1710. Over the centuries, copyright laws have evolved significantly, with international treaties and conventions such as the Berne Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention standardizing these rights globally. Copyright applies to a wide variety of creative expressions including literary works, music, films, choreography, paintings, software, broadcasts, and designs. It is important to note that copyright protection requires a minimal level of originality and typically expires after a set period of time.
Related Articles:
YouTube (Wikipedia)
For the company's channel on YouTube, see YouTube (channel).

YouTube is an American online video sharing and social media platform owned by Google. Accessible worldwide, it was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States, it is the second most visited website in the world, after Google Search. YouTube has more than 2.5 billion monthly users, who collectively watch more than one billion hours of videos every day. As of May 2019, videos were being uploaded to the platform at a rate of more than 500 hours of content per minute, and as of 2021, there were approximately 14 billion videos in total.

YouTube, LLC
The YouTube logo is made of a red round-rectangular box with a white triangular "play" button inside and the word "YouTube" written in black.
Logo used since 2017
Screenshot of the video player on September 13, 2023
Type of businessSubsidiary
Type of site
Online video platform
FoundedFebruary 14, 2005; 19 years ago (2005-02-14)
Headquarters901 Cherry Avenue
San Bruno, California,
United States
Area servedWorldwide (excluding blocked countries)
OwnerAlphabet Inc.
Founder(s)
Key people
Industry
Products
RevenueIncrease US$31.5 billion (2023)
ParentGoogle LLC (2006-present)
URLyoutube.com
(see list of localized domain names)
AdvertisingGoogle AdSense
Registration
Optional
  • Not required to watch most videos; required for certain tasks such as uploading videos, viewing flagged (18+) videos, creating playlists, liking or disliking videos, and posting comments
UsersDecrease 2.7 billion MAU (January 2024)
LaunchedFebruary 14, 2005; 19 years ago (2005-02-14)
Current statusActive
Content license
Uploader holds copyright (standard license); Creative Commons can be selected.
Written inPython (core/API), C (through CPython), C++, Java (through Guice platform), Go, JavaScript (UI)

In October 2006, YouTube was purchased by Google for $1.65 billion (equivalent to $2.31 billion in 2023). Google expanded YouTube's business model of generating revenue from advertisements alone, to offering paid content such as movies and exclusive content produced by and for YouTube. It also offers YouTube Premium, a paid subscription option for watching content without ads. YouTube incorporated Google's AdSense program, generating more revenue for both YouTube and approved content creators. In 2022, YouTube's annual advertising revenue increased to $29.2 billion, more than $9 billion higher than in 2020.

Since its purchase by Google, YouTube has expanded beyond the core website into mobile apps, network television, and the ability to link with other platforms. Video categories on YouTube include music videos, video clips, news, short and feature films, songs, documentaries, movie and teaser trailers, live streams, vlogs, and more. Most content is generated by individuals, including collaborations between "YouTubers" and corporate sponsors. Established media, news, and entertainment corporations have also created and expanded their visibility to YouTube channels in order to reach greater audiences.

YouTube has had unprecedented social impact, influencing popular culture, internet trends, and creating multimillionaire celebrities. Despite its growth and success, the platform is sometimes criticized for allegedly facilitating the spread of misinformation, the sharing of copyrighted content, routinely violating its users' privacy, enabling censorship, endangering child safety and wellbeing, and for its inconsistent or incorrect implementation of platform guidelines.

Alternative Meanings:
  • YouTube
    YouTube is a global online platform for sharing and viewing video content, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It has grown to become one of the world's most popular video sharing platforms with a market share of around 43% as of 2010. It is well-known for its impact on internet trends, creating celebrities and its influence on popular culture. YouTube generates revenue through ads, paid content, and its ad-free service, YouTube Premium. Despite criticisms for spreading misinformation and privacy violations, it continues to grow and evolve, with significant technological advancements and feature enhancements. It also ventured into mobile apps and network TV. In recent years, there has been a surge in usage, driven by milestones like one billion hours of daily video watched and the launch of new features such as YouTube Kids and YouTube Shorts.
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