What is YouTube? History explained

YouTube is a popular online video-sharing platform that allows users to upload, share, and view videos. It was created in 2005 by three former PayPal employees—Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim—and was later acquired by Google in 2006. YouTube allows users to upload a wide variety of video content, including music videos, vlogs, educational videos, tutorials, movie clips, and more.

Users can browse through an extensive collection of videos on YouTube by searching for specific topics or browsing through different categories and channels. They can also like, dislike, comment on, and share videos with others. YouTube has become a significant platform for content creators, known as YouTubers, who have gained large audiences and even turned their channels into full-time careers.

In addition to user-generated content, many official channels for organizations, media outlets, musicians, and other entities have a presence on YouTube, allowing them to reach a global audience with their videos. YouTube has also introduced features such as live streaming, YouTube Premium (a subscription-based service offering ad-free viewing and exclusive content), and YouTube Music (a music streaming service).

Overall, YouTube has become an integral part of online culture, entertainment, education, and information sharing, with billions of users visiting the platform every month.