Created in 2005, YouTube has become a commonly visited site. Now owned by Google, the site is accessible on any platform where there is internet connection. It has revolutionized the video-sharing scene by allowing its users to manage, upload, share, and view videos publicly posted on the easy to navigate platform. Communication within its users is also possible through its ratings, likes, favorite, and comment features. Registered users can ‘subscribe’ to a channel which will allow them to see in their home screen the next time that channel uploads a new video. The more subscribers a channel has, the more popular they are on the site. The amount of videos uploaded is immeasurable and there is a variety of video categories existent. The success of YouTube has accounted for the surface of community and groups and is constantly connecting the world through video.

“The most popular category is Music, at about 22.9%; the second is Entertainment, at about 17.8%; and the third is Comedy, at about 12.1%.” (Cheng, Dale & Liu, 2007, p. 3).

A study was conducted by the School of Computing Science officials at Simon Frazer University that explored the characteristics of YouTube videos. The study hoped to identify the growth trend of the site’s many features. This quote supports the statement that most people turn to YouTube as a music provider. With the lack of television channels that actually broadcast music video premieres, people tend to resort to YouTube to be up to date with all the new music releases. In addition, it is free to do so and by downloading a third party program the video can even be downloaded.

“There are plenty of sites offering advice to Do-It-Yourself (DIY) enthusiasts: YouTube has a vast array of instructional videos from converting attics into bedrooms, (which is explained in just 1 minute 38 seconds) and more detailed step-by-step videos on instructing viewers in how to replace an old window, for example.” (Hewetson, 2012).

The rise of DIY videos such as what this author describes has been due to the increase of people relying on the internet for quick and easy to follow instructions and information. More people turn to share their talents on video due to the easiness to cast oneself in their home video and creative control one can experience compared to a nationally broadcast cooking show.

“Of the estimated 20,000 in YouTube's Partners Program, which splits ad revenue between the site and the amateur content producers, hundreds are making six figures a year. The most-subscribed attraction on the site, Ray William Johnson, is said to have cracked seven figures, though it probably earns far less than Daniel Tosh, the Comedy Central star whose hit series "Tosh.0" attracts fewer viewers to an average episode (4.2 million) than Johnson, who grabs over 6 million - twice a week. Yet their shows are somewhat similar, aggregating and mocking viral videos” (Daily Variety, 2011, p.1).

By understanding the way YouTube works, one can tell that YouTube partners gain money by the numbers on the videos. The more subscribers they have, the more that the word gets out of their popularity and other people become more likely to check them out. Consequently, this increases the chances for even more subscriptions. The subscribing feature on YouTube then becomes an important factor to observe patterns within groups of people. This observation could lead to possible explanations in what motivates a person to subscribe or how long does it take a registered user to appeal to the entire channel.