I have kind of a love/hate relationship with YouTube. I'll start by telling you my views from both sides of the fence.
Why I Hate YouTube:
Exposure. There are countless, countless exposure videos on YouTube, some even exposing some of our favorite effects. I've seen many exposure videos of effects like Stigmata, Fraud, Greed, I even came across an exposure video of Distortion. Most of these videos are removed when legal action is taken, but that's not going to stop them all. There are alot of immature so called "magicians" out there who have this sick idea in their head that if they reveal effects, their videos will get more views, and their channel will get more subscribers. Let me tell you right now, this is the absolute stupidest way to gain views and subscribers. It's low. If you really think you are a skilled magician, it's alot cooler to post up performance videos than to post exposure videos. I don't care what other people say. If you want me to consider you a "good magician", show me some performances, not revelations. It's low, it's unethical, and it's just plain stupid. A real magician would not reveal secrets to get views. Come on guys. Let's grow up.
Why I Love YouTube:
Let's face it, magic exposure on YouTube will NEVER end. It's inevitable. Unless they make some kind of world-wide law about not posting magic exposure videos on the web, it will never be stopped. But instead of complaining about it ALL THE TIME, let's try to look on the bright side of this situation. Alot of people who see exposure videos on the Internet, they get inspired to get into magic themselves. I'm not one of these people, but I've met some really good magicians who said that the reason they got into magic was because they learned a trick on YouTube, and was hooked. When people reveal effects on the Internet, it not only gets some people into the art, but it also inspires our wonderful magic creators to create better, harder-hitting magic than ever before. As long as there are masses of exposure, there will be masses of new creations. And that's my view on it. Also, YouTube gives us "real magicians" a great opportunity to advertise ourselves. I don't care if it's a video of you performing in front of a webcam, a street magic video, or a video of a stage performance, if you're performing for YouTube, you're advertising, and you enjoy the benefits of it.
So like I said, there are alot of things that hurt magic not only on YouTube, but all over the Internet. But, at the same time, this exposure helps magic in some ways. I'm not going to say I absolutely HATE YouTube, and i'm also not going to say I absolutely LOVE YouTube. As for now, i'm on the fence with this one.
Anthony Bass
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