Youtube has done a lot in the last half-decade but of its laundry list of achievements, my favorite is how it pays half my rent. After posting a video of himself singing the power ballad, "And I'm Telling You" from Dreamgirls, my roommate was discovered by Rosie O'Donnell, Akon, and hundreds of thousands of adoring fans and scathing critics.
Now my roommate has a recording deal, a manager, and an income. So just like the annoying bitch that set you up on a blind date with the love of your life, we sort of owe half the rent to Youtube. Make sense?
Weed your way through clips of a squirrel getting drunk, a man reliving the past century of dance in five minutes and thousands of peoples' reactions to "2 girls, 1 cup" (it's better experienced then explained), and it's easy to say that Youtube is filling a need our country has been thirsty to fill for a long time now. It entertains and provides so much that many feel we've neglected our TVs.
So, is Youtube the nail in television's coffin? Of course not, the writers' strike will swiftly kill TV before Youtube ever will. Think of Youtube as your crazy rich grandpa who has a lot of stories and hums to himself while he pees in the shower. Entertaining? Yes. Functional or sane? This remains to be seen.
In times of crisis people don't think, "Shit! Get to Youtube, all our questions will be answered there!" They dusted off their local and/or national news coverage they've been neglecting and hugged Diane Sawyer for answers like an alcoholic to a bottle of Jim Beam.
Television is the older and better adjusted brother of Youtube and will guide it through its awkward years, but unless television is involved in a hit-and-run, it's here to stay for decades to come.
I will say this...You got a "voice" to blog with and you know YouTube and you have an interesting personal anecdote in your roommate and you put me on to something I was not familiar with. However, I have no reason to want to actually watch the 2 girls.