Dec 1, 2012 by Timothy Tai-
On 24 November 2012, South Korean music artist PSY’s ‘Oppa Gangnam Style’ surpassed Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’ to become the most watched video in YouTube history. I don’t know which is scarier: The thought of 850 million people watching and dancing to ‘Oppa Gangnam Style’ or the thought of 807 million people watching and singing along to JB’s music video ‘Baby’.
If you’re like most people, you’ve probably seen those videos a couple of times on YouTube. On the other hand, if you can’t get by a single day without watching those videos and countless more on YouTube, then you could be somewhat of a YouTube addict. Either way, this checklist was drawn up to help you recognize if you (or someone you know) might be a YouTube Addict.
Go over the list below with a trusted friend or family member (someone who will be honest with you) and see how many of the following statements apply to you. Then read on to find out the results.
1. Whenever you’re bored, your first inclination is to go on YouTube to look for something to watch
2. You’ve watched “Oppa Gangnam Style”, “Charlie Bit My Finger” or “The Sneezing Baby Panda” more than 50 times in the past
3. You spend more time watching YouTube than Astro or regular TV
4. You know the full names (first name AND surname) of all the top YouTube celebrities like Ryan Higa (Nigahiga), Kevin Wu (KevJumba) or Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla (Smosh) but you don’t even know your neighbor’s surname
5. One of your secret fantasies is to become a famous YouTuber one day
6. YouTube is your #1 source of information and learning, In fact, that’s where you learnt many life skills like how to tie a necktie or how to braid your hair
7. You have a YouTube app on your phone and you’re constantly checking out the most viewed videos of the day
8. You actually get sad and even slightly depressed whenever you can’t find anything funny to watch on YouTube
9. One of your favorite topics of conversation with your friends is the last thing you saw on YouTube
10. You go on YouTube to watch one video but you always end up watching all of the suggested videos in the sidebar
11. You either start your sentences with the phrase, “You HAVE to watch this video on YouTube…” or end your sentences with “I’m going to look that up on YouTube right now!”
12. All your friends are annoyed with you because you always put up links to YouTube videos on their Facebook page… every single day
13. To you, watching YouTube is just as (if not even more) important than sleep
14. One of your proudest life achievements to date is the hundreds, if not thousands of YouTube videos you’ve seen
15. You actually get withdrawal symptoms and become grumpy and even hostile towards people around you whenever you don’t get your regular dosage of YouTube videos
16. You actually have a mental list or worse still, a physical list of videos to watch on YouTube
17. You subscribe to more than 100 channels on YouTube and have more than 1000 favorite videos
18. Whenever you’re out with friends or family, you’re thinking about the next YouTube video you’re going to watch when you get home
19. You notice every little change that YouTube makes on its website and you have a very strong opinion about all the changes
20. You have a different YouTube playlist for different days of the week and even to suit the various moods that you’re in
21. You don’t have time to call your parents but you make time to watch videos of random strangers on YouTube
Well? How did you do?
If less than 3 of the statements are true of you, then your chances of being a YouTube addict are rather low.
If 3 or more of the above statements applied to you, then you are definitely spending too much time on YouTube.
However, if ALL of the above statements applied to you, then you have a very serious problem. You need to turn off your computer right now, pick up the phone and get immediate professional help.
Whatever category you fall in, it’s good to recognize that we will never run out of funny videos to watch on YouTube. More and more videos go viral every day and there will never be an end to it. However, for every minute of our lives that we spend watching something on YouTube, we lose a very precious minute of our lives that we could have spent doing something else. Like visiting a sick friend in the hospital, bonding with a family member or spending time with God. And those, my friends, are things that will enrich our lives a whole lot more than any number of videos ever will. Scripture teaches us in Ephesians 5:15 & 16 – “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (NIV)
Note: Timothy grew up in Kuching and worked in KL before jumping off the corporate ladder in 2006. He moved to New York City where he served at an inner-city kids ministry for almost 6 years. He has since returned to KL and has just married his Irish fiancee Sarah.
References of pictures:
http://neaat.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/gangnam-style-feature.jpg
http://www.searchenginepeople.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/charlie-bit-my-finger-image.jpg
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ln9xd8vMb81qfgy5ro1_500.jpg
http://file040.bebo.com/12/mediuml/2008/03/26/22/1212673400a7265287327ml.jpg
http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/computer-addiction-2.jpg
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