I'm not sure about you, but I watch hundreds of hours of YouTube a month. I'm always trying to learn how to change the oil in my car or find a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and once in a while, how to rack focus my camera. I turn to that Recentlydifferent questions. 

In fact, recently, YouTube saw almost as much traffic as Google when it came to people asking questions. 


But is YouTube social media? Does it meet the classifications? And does being a part of social media give it an unnecessary stink or baggage that detracts from its usefulness?

Today, we're going to explore whether or not YouTube is a social media platform. We'll dig into the idea of what social media is, how people use YouTube, and how to promote your channel. 

Sound good? Let's dive in. 

Is YouTube Social Media? 

Before we dive into YouTube, I think we should define what it means to be a part of social media. 

Social Media Definition 

"Social media" refers to interactive technologies that facilitate the personal creation and sharing of information, ideas, and interests through virtual networks.

Is YouTube Considered Social Media? 

In a word? Yes.

YouTube pretty much fulfills the exact definition of what social media is and can be. It's a wonderful platform where people can publish their ideas and discuss topics about what matters to them. No Film School uses it to educate you about tech and the filmmaking process.

And we have partners who use it to talk film theory and even diagram specifics about cameras and screenwriting techniques.  

People look down on social media because there's a connotation that it can be frivolous and not helpful, but that is wrong, and a belief generally held by older generations. YouTube is extremely valuable, and our second-largest search engine in the world. 

Is YouTube a Social Network? 

This is another question we see come up again and again in these kinds of discussions. YouTube's comment section and the ability to follow, subscribe, and network with other creators makes it a social network.

Think about this—if you are a creator making videos, your plan is to attract a following and communicate ideas to people. That sort of connection is a network, where your followers can find similar channels and information as well. 

Is YouTube Social Media?

What Is the Best Social Media to Promote Your YouTube Channel? 

When it comes to promoting your channel, think about which platforms work best for your videos. We've found Twitter and Facebook the best since we can embed the videos to be played on the platforms. We also find those work best for sharing and preserving the aspect ratio.

We also like TikTok. You might need to shoot videos for that, since it's a vertical format. Or you might consider taking highlights of your videos and reposting them on TikTok, where they can go viral in an instant and attract a whole new audience.

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At the end of the day, the best thing to do is make more YouTube videos and interact with fans. Maybe try to work with other creators—that way both channels get exposure to new audiences. Those crossover audiences are very valuable. 

Summing Up "Is YouTube Social Media?"

There's not much debate here. YouTube is absolutely social media. It's one of the most expansive internet resources for people to research anything and everything they need.

What's your opinion on the topic? We'd love to hear from you in the comments.