in the spirit of spring break - take off your top...oi

Let's take a look at what the topoi can do for my poor, exhausted, writer's soul.

CONTRAST: there exists an obvious paradox in the research I have found, in that youtube is viewed as a 'level playing field' by many, while others remain convinced (or are certain and are undertaking efforts to convince the world) that youtube is merely a plaything of the business world and a new means to purvey a product. While many 'viral' phenomena have indeed been aided and abetted by various youtubing firms (for lack of a better word), a business model of youtube still falls short of explaining the absurd level of success obtained by certain individuals, such as Tay Zonday and his now-infamous "Chocolate Rain."

CAUSE/EFFECT: What are the implications of viewing youtube as a cold, soulless selling device? Implied I suppose would be the 1984-ish idea that as users, we are unwittingly consuming and accepting propagandistic content that has been mislabeled as 'user-generated.' Possible consequences of such a revelation? Possibly the invention and first ever implementation of an online riot, as duped users rebel against their corporate oppressors. Youtube comments may become even nastier, more racist, and contain worse spelling (although I feel we may have already reached the pinnacle for many of these)

CHANGE: Was youtube truly conceived as a 'level playing field' for all to publish upon or has it been a corporate tool from its inception, or at the very least since its buyout by google. If there truly exists a method for garnering more hits with return of investment in mind, is this a recent development, the potential of which has only begun to be explored? Should this be viewed as the moral decay of what was once a humanistic medium, the inevitable plodding evolution of an artistic platform (reminiscent of the commercialization of other art forms throughout history), or a hostile revolutionary takeover by greedy financial-minded corporations?

Apparently, the topoi take me down the worn path of the individual vs. corporation, of art and expression vs. greed and finance