• by Seana Mulcahy , October 23, 2006

OK, user-generated content is hot. However, I just don't get the whole YouTube craze. I certainly understand and respect the power of viral content and social networking. I'll even admit that sometimes seeing people do stupid things is funny. Hell, I'll go one step further by saying I thought the movie "Jackass" was funny (in a big Catholic guilt sort of way). I also understand how a younger demo could flock to YouTube to watch such content (whether or not they're allowed to).

I decided to ask my resident 16-year-old girl. Perhaps I can paint a quick picture of her: Completely plugged into most news locally, nationally and quite often worldwide at any given moment, she frequents Facebook, MySpace and Live Journal while keeping her profile private and somewhat cryptic; mobile phone always on her person; constantly text-messaging or sending pics via her phone. Her IM chimes from her computer or to her mobile on a regular basis; she e-mails and downloads often; uses Google ritualistically to find information on everything from school events to shopping to entertainment listings and reviews to maps and homework.

When I asked about YouTube, she thought I was cool for even mentioning it. Then she looked somewhat horrified that I knew about it. She gave me a tutorial (as if I hadn't been through the site before). Somewhat surprisingly, she pulled up a video from one of her friends. The 3-second delay made me cringe like never before. A moment later I breathed a sigh of relief and began to smirk. It was a clip of one of her friends. Let's just say this girl is quite the all-around comedic one. In a nutshell, it was a stunt a la "Jackass," that ends with her wiping out on top of a garbage can.

I guess I don't understand the mentality of going back to a site over and over again to see such a clip--even if you are 16, and even if she is one of your good friends. Gasp--I'm getting old. What I really don't get is why Google picked the company up (especially for $1.65 billion.) Sure, Google is an 800-pound gorilla that scoops up companies like bananas for breakfast. The company provides technology to search in so many ways via the Web, RSS feeds, images and the like. It is only natural that Google would want to jump on the video bandwagon. But YouTube?

Is it me, or does this seem like lawsuit after lawsuit waiting to happen? I decided to spend some time on feeds, blogs and sites to see what people were saying and justify that I am not alone on this one. Sure enough as recently as the Oct. 19 New York Times, there was an article dubbed, "We're Google. So Sue Us." To no surprise, it speaks to a whole host of legal issues, including copyright violation, trademark infringement and Google's method of ranking Web sites.

In the article, interviewee Jonathan Zittrain, professor of Internet governance and regulation at Oxford University said, "I think Google is wanting to push the boundaries...The Internet ethos of the 90's, the expansionist ethos, was, 'Just do it, make it cool, make it great and we'll cut the rough edges off later,'" He continued, "They're really trying to preserve a culture that says, 'Just do it, and consult with the lawyers as you go so you don't do anything flagrantly ill-advised.'"

Oh sure, there are homemade clips all over YouTube. However, there are also a heck of a lot of copyrighted clips. YouTube makes it easy for users to swipe such content without permission from elsewhere and stream it on its network. Not cool. Is this a buy now, act later move on behalf of Google? Is the company so huge its deep pockets will make this stuff disappear? It still doesn't jive with me. What do you think about all of this? Is the Google acquisition of YouTube a snafu? Post to the Spin blog, as we're anxious to hear your rants and raves.