ABSTRACT
YouTube has surpassed other social media platforms on a massive scale in application and influence, and has recently begun to impact the way people seek out and use information, learn about the world, and share their own unique perspective often with an international audience. However, this ubiquitous form of social media is perhaps the least scholarly researched form of social media, particularly when it comes to so-called underrepresented and underresearched populations. Generally speaking, formalized social-media theoretical tools and systematic measurement have been lacking as well. YouTube exemplifies the tension between an empowered user and powerful commerce-driven creators in the battle for media control and demands scholarly analysis.
