A World of Knowledge and Fun at Your Fingertips
1
In 2004, three PayPal employees had a light bulb moment. Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim envisioned a place on the internet where people could share their home movies with the world. They set up shop in a Silicon Valley garage, and Karim posted the first ever YouTube video in May of 2005. “Me at the Zoo” was just 19 seconds long, and it featured Karim casually speaking in front of the elephant enclosure. The video bore little semblance to the sophisticated productions often seen on YouTube today. In 2006, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion. If the original YouTube founders had had a crystal ball, they might not have been so quick to sign on the dotted line!
2
It is difficult to overstate just how popular YouTube currently is. There are 2.1 billion monthly active users all over the world. Unlike TikTok, which has a mostly young user base, suggesting young people prefer entertainment over educational content, YouTube appeals to people of all ages. In fact, the majority of internet users in the U.S., whether they are 15 or over the age of 56, use YouTube. In some places outside of the U.S., the internet can, of course, be more difficult to access.
3
Think of video sharing platforms like candy stores. While some offer just a few flavors, YouTube has a treat to satisfy absolutely any taste or craving. Want to get help with a difficult math concept? You’ll likely have no trouble at all finding a tutorial. Looking for some entertainment? There are videos featuring pranks, fictional characters, and hilarious cats. Videos can be up to twelve hours long, while a YouTube short is, like most TikTok videos, less than a minute. The amount of content on YouTube is also constantly increasing. A 2020 estimate stated that 500 hours of content were being uploaded every single minute!
4
Some young people who may have once said they wanted to be movie stars or professional sports players now aspire to be YouTubers. Those who can get enough views and subscribers on YouTube can indeed make money—serious money. In 2021, YouTuber Mr. Beast earned a staggering $54 million in gross revenue, making him the highest earning YouTube creator in history. It is hard not to feel a vague sense of injustice when there are so many doctors, nurses, firefighters, and police officers who will never come close to earning even a fraction of this amount. With that being said, the YouTube millionaire Mr. Beast is admittedly an inspiration to many. Stories like his show young people that with enough creativity, perseverance, and hard work, anyone with a camera and a YouTube account can make their dreams come true.
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Multiple Choice Question
Which detail in paragraph 5 of “TikTok” best supports the author’s claim that people can make money from TikTok?
A.
Some people who spend a lot of time generating TikTok videos . . .
B.
. . . Can I make money doing this?
C.
TikTok does have an ad revenue sharing program . . .
D.
. . . Addison Rae earned an estimated $5 million in 2020.
1 answer
The detail in paragraph 5 of “TikTok” that best supports the author’s claim that people can make money from TikTok is:
D. . . . Addison Rae earned an estimated $5 million in 2020.
This detail provides a specific example of an individual earning money through TikTok, reinforcing the claim that it is possible to make money on the platform.
