In this blog post, we will look at how YouTube has become a part of people’s daily lives around the world through technological advancements.
YouTube is a video platform that is used by 2 billion people every month and has an average of 1 billion hours of viewing time per day. This huge number of users and viewing time shows that YouTube has gone beyond being a simple video sharing site and has become deeply ingrained in the culture and daily lives of people around the world. Some readers may be surprised to learn that YouTube was founded in 2005. In just 19 years, YouTube has become a part of people’s lives all over the world. This means that it has become a global hub where people can get information, share opinions, and express their creativity, rather than just a video platform.
What do you think is the reason for YouTube’s rapid growth? The commercial success and marketing aspects of YouTube are well known through various books and lectures. In this article, we will take a technical approach to see what YouTube has achieved.
In its early days, YouTube was no different from a site with simple ideas such as easy access and video sharing. However, YouTube, which became explosively popular as a user-centric service, was acquired by Google in 2006 and has since been transformed into a more sophisticated platform with the help of vast amounts of capital and technology. Google’s acquisition brought about more than just a financial injection. YouTube’s user experience improved dramatically as Google’s global network and advanced technology were incorporated, and it was able to grow into a huge video library accessible worldwide. Google’s cloud infrastructure and data centers enabled YouTube to accommodate billions of users at the same time, which directly led to YouTube’s technological advancement.
Unsurprisingly, YouTube’s video streaming service, which is the core of the service, has been updated frequently and changed every year. Among them, two technologies that have been a major turning point are the application of HTML5 and live streaming services. Since 2010, YouTube has been developing HTML5 as a trial version to replace the existing Adobe Flash Player for its video streaming service. It was not until 2015 that YouTube was equipped with HTML5, and YouTube has identified the trigger as HTML5’s Adaptive Bitrate (ABS) technology. The feature of ABS is that it flexibly changes the output data according to the network conditions when transmitting videos. The amount of data required for all videos varies throughout the entire video, and at this time, the data allocation can be efficiently adjusted according to the required amount to transmit high-quality, low-capacity videos. In addition to the advantages of ABS, the transition to HTML5 has also been a great help in entering the mobile market because it has better compatibility with various devices.
The transition to HTML5 has enabled YouTube to work smoothly on a variety of devices, and has greatly improved the experience on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. As a result, YouTube has moved beyond a simple PC-based platform to become a global video platform that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. This has played an important role in driving the rapid growth of mobile advertising revenue, along with the increase in YouTube usage time.
Secondly, YouTube was just a latecomer in the live streaming service sector. This was because there were already those who were dominating the live streaming service. However, YouTube was able to achieve great growth in the live streaming sector with the help of its technology, which had almost monopolized the global market in VOD. YouTube, which had already introduced 4K resolution in its existing VOD videos, was able to stream 4K resolution in real time. YouTube has even made it possible to stream 360-degree VR videos in real time, making it a dominant player in the live streaming market from a technological standpoint. In addition, YouTube has excellent image quality and even allows simultaneous transmission with other platforms, allowing users to enjoy VOD as well, making it a strong competitor in the live streaming market.
YouTube’s live streaming service did not stop at just providing high-definition video. Users were able to communicate with live broadcasts in real time through various interactive features such as real-time chat and sponsorship, which enabled a closer connection between content creators and viewers. These technological advancements have allowed YouTube to evolve from a platform that simply consumes videos to a platform that enables real-time communication and participation.
YouTube boasts the world’s second-largest search system after Google. In addition, its unique personalized recommendation system is the crown jewel of YouTube’s technology. So, what concepts and technologies were actually used in the two systems? First, the core of a search engine is the algorithm that ranks the importance of the information being searched. The algorithm of the YouTube search engine first uses the uniqueness that only YouTube has. This is because it deals with unified content, which is, of course, video. If a traditional search engine collects information from documents consisting of text and links, YouTube collects additional information from videos. This additional information includes the number of views, likes, average viewing time, and comments.
In 2012, YouTube announced that it would place a higher priority on average viewing time than on the number of views. For example, if most users who watch a video skip it within 10 seconds, the video is not worth watching and is of very low importance. This is a good criterion for judging videos that attract users’ attention with provocative thumbnails. In the same year, YouTube announced that it would focus on viewing time rather than the percentage of video viewing time. For example, it is more important that a 10-minute video has an average viewing time of 50% than that a 3-minute video has a viewing time of 50%. This is why longer videos tend to rank higher. This change in the concept of search algorithms is well suited to YouTube’s goal of increasing the number of users who stay on the platform for a long time.
Next, the personalized recommendation system is actually very similar to the search system. If the search engine determines the ranking of videos to be provided based on the user’s search terms, the recommendation system is a method of providing content tailored to the user. In this case, only one additional consideration is needed: the user’s previous viewing history. If you access YouTube’s home screen right now, it will recommend videos that will interest you based on your previous history. YouTube’s personalized recommendation system maximizes user experience and plays an important role in extending the time users spend on the platform. This system analyzes vast amounts of data to predict users’ interests and provide content that matches them, keeping users on YouTube.
It has been 18 years since YouTube was acquired by Google. One of the reasons why YouTube co-founders Steve Chen and Chad Meredith Hurley sold YouTube was that their technology at the time could not handle the growing video streaming service. How is the current situation compared to the past when the limitations of technology held YouTube back? In terms of the technological capabilities we have seen so far, YouTube has reached a level that is unmatched by any other platform. Furthermore, it is not an exaggeration to say that YouTube is now in a position to lead the way in technology by introducing VR videos that can be enjoyed in 360 degrees and content filtering technology using artificial intelligence.
In particular, YouTube has greatly increased user accessibility and convenience by introducing the latest technologies, including AI-based automatic subtitle generation, real-time translation features, and content analysis and classification systems. These technologies have not only advanced the technology, but also contributed to further solidifying YouTube’s position as a global platform that encompasses various languages and cultures. YouTube is also constantly introducing new technologies and features to improve the user experience, and these innovations are the driving force behind YouTube’s continued growth.
I conclude this article by looking forward to whether the development of new technologies will lead to another innovation on YouTube. YouTube is already deeply embedded in our daily lives and culture, so it is necessary to pay attention to what changes it will bring about in the future along with technological progress.
