I would say yes, that it most definitely, certainly is; however………..
I understand why some put it in another category, and that’s because it works as a search engine as well. Better so than the other social platforms, meaning you can find answers to just about anything you want on YT. You can also go to someone’s channel, and it actually makes sense of how their material is organized (highly depends on the channel, of course). It’s not perfect. Your YouTube channel certainly does NOT have the customization capability as, say… a WordPress website. But you can organize how your visitors are presented with your material when they visit your channel.
YouTube’s Layout IS Just Better
For example, as the channel owner, you can choose to have your long-form (regular) videos at the top of your channel, then your short-form / vertical videos (shorts), then your playlist (the fact that you can create playlists is great – more organization options), or however you want to organize things… You can’t really do that with Instagram, TikTok, X, etc. …
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It’s also a great place for learning just about anything. Sure, you might come across a “a little something” here and there on other platforms, but with YouTube, you can really do some deep dives.
Quitting “Social Media” But Keeping YouTube
I think some of the confusion derives from those you (might) see stating that “I’m getting out of the ‘rat race’ altogether, I’m getting off the grid completely, deleting all my social media, quitting my job, selling my house and buying a cheap, used RV and plant it somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, USA.”… Well, You’re still using YouTube to convey that “message.” Don’t get me wrong, I love that idea, in general, but using YouTube to make the claim is a little contradictory, I believe.
On the other hand, if those folks who make those videos ARE doing all that they say (minus YT), then absolutely more power to them. I’m envious. Perhaps, they’ve found a way to do it – safely. Or, perhaps, they’re not telling us about the huge sum of cash they’ve saved up, the lottery they’ve won, or the spouse that’s going to take care of them if they fail.
Some of them DO give examples of how they’re staying afloat, and there are quite a few examples of folks that appear to be making a good go at the whole thing, but you also can’t help but wonder about some of them.
YouTube IS Social Media
I’m going way off topic here. This should really be two different posts. The point is, YouTube IS social media, just not in the same way as ANY of the other platforms. At the end of the day, if every single other platform disappeared, I’d be completely and totally fine with it. I have other accounts, sure, but I spend hardly more than a minute or two, here and there, on them. They’re all just kind of “fly-by-night” sort of places to me. I shouldn’t say it quite like that. It just depends on the type of content you are looking for at the moment. And some find one platform easier to engage on than other platforms. I just use YouTube more than the others, but I DO use the “others” and I’m glad they’re in place. To each their own…
Until Next Time,
Featured Image: Just a graphic I made at Canva.com. If you are in need of some supplementary graphics that you can customize, and have never tried Canva, you should. They have FREE & PAID plans.
