Tuesday, 6 Feb. 26, 2013 Technology The Streamy Awards demonstrate the changing nature of entertainment As web series and youtube channels become more popular, the Streamys gain popularity By SAMANTHA ANDROSKY Senior Staff Writer and over 750 million people have viewed his YouTube channel. Before hitting YouTube stardom, Dawson says his The audience for online videos and web series is living conditions were less than ideal. growing, and the burgeoning community of online “Before all of this, I was practically homeless, and media creators was awarded for its work at the third my mom was out of a job,” Dawson said. “We were annual Streamy Awards in mid-February. really struggling, so [success] changed my life in that The award show recognized the creators and pro- way, which I think made me more grateful, and I want ducers of exceptional web media, giving awards in 36 to work really, really hard so I never have to get back categories ranging from best drama series to best cin- to that place.” ematography. With more and more vloggers posting every day, The Streamys have grown in response to the in- there are more talented candidates working towards crease in the number of people watching media on winning a Streamy of their own. However, some veter- video hosting sites like Hulu and YouTube. In response an web series creators and actors criticized the 2013 Streamys for taking on too much of an “Oscar feel”. entirely web-based series, House of Cards. “My impression is it’s almost like a red carpet for to“Soon a growing they’re audience, gonna forget Netflix which recently box released they’re watch a new- old media,” web series creator Felicia Day told LA ing,” Jane Espenson, creator of the successful web se- Weekly in regards this year’s awards black tie fashion ries Husbands, told LA Weekly regarding the changes and pre-show red carpet. “Four years ago the show in media viewership. was about independent spirit, innovation, and people According to a 2012 study from the PEW Internet doing things to break the system. Now it’s about Hol- & American Life Project, 27 percent of internet users lywood coming in.” aged 12-17 record and upload videos to the internet, As more people turn to their computers, tablets, and up 14 percent from 2006. These young people are phones to watch TV, in a few years it is possible that making money because of it. the Streamys may be more than just Hollywood-in- Popular video bloggers, otherwise known as vlog- spired. Alongside the Oscars, People’s Choice Awards, gers, such as Shane Dawson of The Annoying Orange and Academy Awards, the Streamy award could be- and Philip DeFranco, are bringing in big bucks as they come an actor, actress, or creator’s new favorite ac- COURTESY thebuibrothers.com make and post their own videos on YouTube. colade. Felicia Day, popular web series producer and actress, poses with According to SocialTimes, vlogger Shane Dawson earns $315,000 per year through YouTube’s partner [email protected] ceremony. Day has complained that the Streamys are becoming program. Dawson has over 3.2 million subscribers hertoo mainstream.Streamy award for “The Guild” at the first annual award How email has been pushed aside by social networks Email is not used for communication among students, replaced by Facebook and texting By IMANI SPENCE Staff Writer links constantly. Email is still a tool logo. This visual embedding is lacking once: more information, less work. used to share important information, in many email clients. Twitter adds another layer to link but more tangible information. Most Emails are also sent to just one per- sharing. With Twitter, users can add The internet is full of amazing infor- emails are about business in the real son, or specifically chosen people. a simple phrase or quote from any mation. With all of this information, world, outside of the internet. When a link is posted to Facebook, link that is easily remembered. These it is hard to remember the exact sites Email used to be the main means of anyone with access can see the link. words and the link combined must where information can be found, and sharing information on the internet. Posting a link to Facebook will allow equal 140 characters or less. The mi- how to best share that knowledge. When it was adopted into the busi- content to be shared with more peo- cro-blog format allows the most im- StumbleUpon asks a different ques- ness world, some of its youthful ap- ple while requiring less work than portant information to be apparent. tion: where can people find new in- peal was lost. Most students admit to email. With the addition of “hashtags” on formation? StumbleUpon leads its us- receiving emails for school purposes. Pinterest, a new social network, Twitter, links can be found by more ers to new parts of the internet based Files are still sent through email con- capitalized on the visual thumbnail. people with common interests. If on answers to a questionnaire. Most sistently. Those same students do not By pinning a link or photograph to a link is posted with the hashtag of the sites users have never seen be- usually email links to their friends. Pinterest, a user will be able to see a “#MDWeather,” people in Maryland fore. Instead, users are encouraged to To share a link with a friend, the small thumbnail from that site. These who want to know about the weather simply “click” to find new content. most common way would be through thumbnails are arranged on a visual can find it quickly. The links that are found on Stum- Facebook. People spend most of their board. Emails are becoming outdated. The bleUpon can be emailed, posted to time on Facebook, so any link on Pinterest’s strength lies in its abili- new generation do not want simple Facebook, or even tweeted. However, Facebook will be seen quickly. ty to make the information appealing links, they want pretty links. these links are not usually emailed. Every link that is posted on Face- and easily accessible. A user can post Email has a different function. book has a thumbnail preview of the a collection of links to Facebook. This At one point, people would email site that usually includes a picture or allows several links to be posted at [email protected]