I watch a significant amount of TV. Do I blame being a latchkey kid in the 1990s, preferring hanging with his grandparents than playing outside? Do I blame working 18 years for a cable company? Who's to say? Nearly a year into a new industry, I still turn on a real TV set and watch live linear channels every day. From old-school broadcast channels to the apps, I consume hours of visual media every day.
Even though I have clung to the traditional ways of viewing, I have also maximized my viewing on Web 2.0 platforms like YouTube. For years I kept them separate: YouTube was for short-form videos like vlogs and viral videos. Then, after consuming a long series of shorter videos (what I called falling down a YouTube rabbit hole) I found Jack's Story.
Jack's Story is a supercut of a character from the New Zealand evening soap opera Shortland Street. Thanks to the industrious supercut (assuming a way to overcome international copyright restrictions) I learned about medical student Jack Hannah and this charming fictional hospital outside of Auckland.
(Sidenote: if you're thinking "that show sounds familiar," you may have heard of it from Jimmy Kimmel.)
The supercut forced me to dig for a way to watch this show here in the US. It's not important how but let's just say I've stayed with this series for three years and counting. (Jack is a doctor now, divorced, and my goodness so much has happened.)
YouTube wasn't done with me yet. The algorithm introduced me to Emmerdale and EastEnders and Coronation Street. It also brought me Hollyoaks and Neighbors, but I gave that back. One can only take so much overwrought acting.
Mark you, I have a past with soap operas as well. My aforementioned parents were ABC soap opera loyalists. I grew up watching those when they lived in Florida and even more when I spent my summers with them after they retired to Jamaica. Television in Jamaica also introduced me to the drama series outside of the US franchises, such as Generations from South Africa and Home and Away from Australia.
Social Media has broken barriers in my own life and opened my horizons. Because of YouTube I look for a more global selection out of the apps for my weekend viewing. I also don't put up with what feels like the same old recycled plot points out of Hollywood - there are innovative stories out there.
While I would never encourage anyone to circumvent any restrictions, I highly recommend a good YouTube rabbit hole to expand your horizons. It just might change your life.
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