The institutionalization of YouTube: From user-generated content to professionally generated content

TLDR

YouTube has reshaped media by blending user‑generated content with traditional broadcasting rules, evolving from a virtual village into a mainstream platform while still reflecting old media structures. The article examines how YouTube’s acquisition by Google has driven its shift from user‑generated to professionally generated content, while assessing the ongoing democratic potential of UGC.

Abstract

This article explores the institutionalization of YouTube: its transformation from user-generated content (UGC) – oriented as a virtual village – into a professionally generated content (PGC) video site, especially after being purchased by Google. YouTube has influenced the traditional media environment, but at the same time this new medium imitates the rules of the old media, including legally managed distribution of broadcasting content and smooth links between content and commercials. YouTube constitutes an evolution of the present media milieu, rather than a revolution. On the other hand, the dominance of mainstream media is, to a degree, still compromised in UGC culture. The emancipatory dimension of UGC media (e.g. as democratic, creative outlet with high accessibility and online library potential) is discussed in the conclusion, not losing sight of the technological-economic limitations placed on its continuing promise.