Why YouTube?

There are so many different avenues a person could take to seek instruction from manuals, professionals, friends, family, etc, yet so many people flock to the internet, and specifically YouTube to get help from people they've never met. One reason for this is easy access; it's pretty simple to go to YouTube and search rather than drive to a store or place where someone knowledgeable can help. With the internet, comes an extraordinary collection of knowledge and it's easier to find someone on the internet who knows the answers than to seek it yourself.

Another element that makes YouTube an ideal place for people to go to seek instruction is the visual factor. People can read an instruction packet, but the diagrams on the page don't move and you can't see the process of assembly. A person can call a help desk but if they don't understand the jargon or technical language involved with the task, it can greatly increase the level of difficulty of the task. Whether it's someone putting together a crib or a clarinet, it's easier to imitate a process when you can see someone going through the motions rather than it is to just read the steps or being told directions over a phone.

In addition to the visual element, there's also the personal touch and experience involved when watching someone do the steps. For the same reason people like to watch vlogs, people like to watch instructional videos because the people giving the instruction are seen experiencing the same issues and problems the viewer has had. Many of the users who create these instructional videos can tell viewers where they had trouble doing something or shortcuts to accomplish the task more easily.

An example of a series of instructional videos that have become immensely popular is Fix Your Own Xbox. They have a handful of videos advising users how to fix common problems found with Xboxes including something called a "red ring of death" and broken disk drives. One of their most popular videos is "How To Open An Xbox 360":



This video is extremely effective and one of the most popular instructional videos regarding fixing problems with an Xbox. He uses language that even the most incompetent person can understand, he shows the process all the way through, he lets you know what's going to be difficult, what's easy, the best ways to do certain tasks. These videos have been so successful, he and his partners in the Xbox-fixing world have opened a site to help viewers purchase parts.