Hello all. During the discussion today in class, I brought up the topic of how “targeted campaign ads” were released on youtube, therefore eliminating the target audience and opening the ads up to the public. Now, when I say the public, I don’t just mean The USA, I mean THE ENTIRE WORLD!!! Literally anyone with access to a computer and a youtube account can comment on these videos in text form or, here’s the shocker, with a video of their own. Now we can see just what real people think based on these wonderful symbolism-filled ads.

There are several levels of interaction from the youtube community, so to clear things up, I’ve collected a few examples:

Example #1 – The YouTube Celebrity

sXe Phil’s view on the situation of McCain’s new VP

Philip DeFranco (also know as “sXe Phil” on youtube) has over 200,000 subscribers on youtube and his videos have accumulated over 5,600,000 views. He is by far one of the most well known VLoggers on youtube, so a large number of view what he has to say daily. By posting his view of the political situation, Phil giving thousands of people an un-censored view of the issue, along with what he thinks about it. He also invites other viewers to leave their own video and text comments, thereby opening up a discussion area for political debate. People like Phil have a reach the most of us don’t have when it comes to voicing our political views, but he uses that reach to bring in people from all over the internet.

But Phil goes even farther than that. He recently (today) posted a video that spoofs the smash hit (?!?!?) “I kissed a Girl and I Liked It” as a song about Sarah Palin getting picked as McCain’s VP. Once again, he’s showing his views on the subject, and giving his viewers some good laughs:

BBK#3: (I Picked a Girl!) Sarah Palin Song Spoof!

Example #2 – The VLogger

SKiTz The Gemini’s view of Barack Obama

SKiTz The Gemini (real name not known) is a small-time VLogger on youtube. He has 1070 subscribers and 27 videos, all about his beliefs and how he views our culture and the world, so it was only natural for him to talk about the Election of 2008. He has a much smaller following than someone like sXe Phil, but he responds to as many of his comments as he can and just tries to be a nice guy who encourages an intelligent conversation from his viewers. He’s just your average guy.

In this video, he talks about how he met Obama back when the now presidential candidate was running for the position of Senator of Illinois. SKiTz goes on to say that that meeting convinced him that Obama is a sincerely good person, and that he judges people more on their character than the issues they stand for. He’s a middle class guy who just wants to tell the world what he thinks, and youtube gives him that opportunity to voice his opinion on the political situation.

Example #3 – The Joker/Entertainer

Danny from “The Gradual Report” tells us about the reality of Politics

Danny Grozdich, or as he is known on youtube, “Danny from ‘The Gradual Report’ “. It’s a high-energy show where Danny gives us scientifically backed facts about pop culture (such as proving beyond a doubt that a rock is smarter than Amy Winehouse is) while demonstrating what can only be described as “Jim Carry-esque” antics. He is not for the faint of heart. But as crazy and cracked out as he may seem, he’s probably one of the most intelligent people with a youtube show. Every one of his episodes is a crazy mixed up metaphor for our society. In this video, he ties in Reality Tv shows with the new development of Sahra Palin’s daughter’s baby. But Danny must be experienced, rather than discussed. This only goes to prove that the craziest of youtubers have begun to utilize youtube as a way to voice their opinions.

Example #4 – The Commenter

These are the people who have no form of identity on youtube other than their screen name. this affords them almost unlimited anonymity with which they can spill out their innermost feelings and opinions about a video of topic and never take any heat. Let’s look at a few quotes from two campaign ads, shall we?

“Book” – Obama ad

“Shouldn’t the poor be first? Oh, that’s right, they don’t vote.”  - fishhead06

“Obama Rock Star” – McCain ad

“fuck you nigger. McCain Palin 08.”  - Martindefeo

See? People can be as racist of as insensitive as they want, because there’s no one there is to tell them how to behave. But still, this is an example of how youtube opens up the playing field for the campaign, as well as putting the ads in front of new audiences that they weren’t designed to cater to.