YouTube turns 20: Prof. Gabriele Balbi's analysis

YouTube, the second most used website in the world after Google, with billions of visits recorded every month, recently turned 20. Prof. Gabriele Balbi, Professor at the Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), spoke about the platform's peculiarities on Telegiornale (RSI).

YouTube initially began as a dating site but quickly transitioned into a video-sharing platform, revolutionising how content was consumed over time.
In 2006, the platform was sold to Google, and since 2008, advertising revenue has been shared with those who upload videos. In this context, YouTubers were born. Initially, the number of creators was limited, but it has since grown significantly. This growth has increased competition and motivated creators to improve the quality of their videos.

"The issue of the professionalisation of content is certainly a central point," explained Professor Gabriele Balbi. "Initially, there was the idea that anyone could get rich and famous thanks to YouTube, whereas now this possibility is more limited."
Although competition has increased, YouTube remains a point of reference for content creators and users, as the USI professor and Pro-rector for Education and Students' Experience explained: "In general, the economics of digital platforms are undergoing great changes. YouTube, however, enjoys a certain stability."