From instruction videos, short student films, vintage and new music videos, and clips from movies and TV – it is all in one place: YouTube. What started a “dinner table idea” back in 2005 is now the largest video-sharing platform in the world. With more than 2.7 billion monthly active users, it is the most popular streaming app and remains the second-most-visited website in the world, after only Google.

This April will mark the 20th anniversary of the first video being uploaded, but it was on February 14, 2005, that the company was founded by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim.

“In two decades, YouTube has transformed culture through video and built a thriving creative economy,” wrote Neal Mohan, YouTube’s CEO, in his annual letter to consumers on Tuesday. “Today’s creators have moved from filming grainy videos of themselves on desktop computers to building studios and producing popular talk shows and feature-length films.”

Mohan added that users aren’t just watching YouTube on computers or phones. The video-sharing service has moved to the living room, where more than one billion hours of content from the video-sharing service is viewed daily on TV sets in the U.S.

“According to Nielsen, YouTube has been #1 in streaming watch time in the U.S. for two years,” Mohan added.

Cultural Shifts Continue

YouTube has certainly come quite a way from its first official video, an 18-second clip titled “Me at the Zoo,” which was uploaded by Karim. Just a year after its launch, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion.

“YouTube’s impact continues as it celebrates its 20th anniversary,” said technology industry analyst Susan Schreiner of C4 Trends.

“Unlike other platforms, it has become a significant part of American and global culture,” she added. “When it burst onto the scene, it quickly became the fastest-growing site on the web, hosting over 65,000 new video uploads and delivering an average of 100 million video views per day within just a few months.”

YouTube arguably is an example of arriving at just the right time. A few years earlier, there might not have been enough Americans with broadband, which is necessary to support the streaming of its content. A few years later, something else might have evolved in its place, and we might not have seen the community of creators evolve.

“There was a lot of ‘right things’ that happened at the right time,” said Scott Talan, assistant professor of public relations and strategic communication at American University. “YouTube came out just before the rise of the iPhone and smartphones, and that gave everyone the ability to shoot video without needing an expensive camera and editing tools.”

What Could Have Been

The forgotten part of the story is that a video-sharing app for the type of content we now see wasn’t the plan that began at the dinner party.

“The original idea was a video dating site, but that didn’t work out,” said Talan.

That was certainly for the best, as the company’s pivot paved the way for what we have today. Instead, it resulted in a platform that has led to a creator community like no other.

“YouTube was the first major platform that allowed for content creativity and sharing,” said Schreiner. “In retrospect, while the content was mundane, like someone playing an instrument, doing shtick comedy or just eating a fun meal – the concept of creating and then being able to share a video was earth-shattering.”

The platform also laid the foundation for generations of content creators and monetization models.

“For many artists, musicians, and others, it eliminated the middleman – allowing them to connect directly with consumers,” added Schreiner. “Fast forward to 2025, and while there are more creators, more channels, more content, and evolving rules, YouTube endures.”

A Mirror Of Real Life

Talan added that much of YouTube’s success is that “nothing mirrors real life like video,” and it is no surprise that Google would want in on it, acquiring the company in 2006.

To say that there is now something for everyone isn’t an overstatement by any stretch of the imagination.

“There is so much there between education, entertainment, and information. The videos on how to change a tire, cook a meal or something else is so much better than a manual that you can’t read without a magnifying glass,” said Talan. “We’ve also seen it come full circle, where the most popular place to listen to podcasts is YouTube, showing how much it has evolved.”

That evolution isn’t likely to end anytime soon.

“Today, YouTubers aren’t just making videos; they’re researching their audience, defining their niche, and building their brand,” Schreiner continued. “Despite TikTok and Reels, YouTube’s longevity and dynamism stems from evolving viewer interests and technological advancements — as well as its responsiveness and adaptability to shifting preferences and trends.”

The music publication first pointed out the controversial footage last November. However, even when it was released five years ago, there had been some backlash for her being seen in blackface to appear African.

“We are now very well aware of the offensiveness that escaped our judgment when we launched the music video as it was never intentional. Especially since the blackface concept is non-existent in the Arab world and it was not considered a sensitive phenomenon in the Middle East,” a statement to the publication of record stated.

“When Myriam crossed over to become an international artist, it was brought to our attention how this might be offensive,” the statement continued. “It was never our intention to raise any sensitive issue, as we really did not mean any offense, we just wanted to portray the beauty of women from different cultures.”

According to the singer’s management team, YouTube had originally not allowed the footage to be edited, and the only option would have been to remove the video and repost it. However, that would have resulted in the loss of all previous views.

Editing The Past Or Correctly Past Wrongs?

This is hardly the first time that old content has been edited or otherwise addressed for being potentially insensitive, and some streaming services – notably Disney+ – have responded by posting a disclaimer at the beginning of the content.

What is notable with this video is that there is no disclaimer, but also no mention that it has been edited.

“These are confusing times when it comes to social media policy, and how determinations are made as to what is acceptable or not – and also about manipulating content for nefarious purposes. While Congress continues to talk about this and Twitter is like a flag in the wind – the ambiguity of what’s acceptable or not is spilling into other areas like entertainment,” suggested Susan Schreiner, analyst at C4 Trends.

“At the heart of this discourse is the fundamental lack of transparency about guardrails by social media companies,” said Schreiner.

She noted that there had been a number of movies that were made in the 1940s and 50s that included blackface – and many are simply not aired on TV anymore. But in this case, it wasn’t a video made in “another time” as even in 2018, the singer – or at least her management – should have known this isn’t considered the least bit acceptable. It also puts into question why YouTube wouldn’t have a policy against such content.

However, there is another issue regarding the editing of the video for “Goumi” – namely that no disclaimer was posted altering viewers that such changes were made. In this case, the editing was done for good reason. But all too often, content can be edited on social media for more nefarious purposes.

“The question is once you have a technical artifact that captures a moment in time, when is it appropriate to change or edit it – which is essentially changing history,” noted Nicole Ellison, professor of information at the University of Michigan.

“Online media can be changed in a way that the printed word can’t be so easily updated,” said Ellison, who further warned that on social media, the context – not just the words – can also be edited.

“If there isn’t a public record that changes were made, that could be a problem,” she explained. “We should be informed that an edit was made, and those changes should be documented and made public. Otherwise, we could see a situation where someone posts something fairly neutral – receives likes and support – and then that content is changed to something that perhaps wouldn’t have been met with the same approval.”

To those who only see the edited version, it may appear that it was still approved by other users. Then there is the issue that the content could be edited by those other than original the creators.

“This isn’t the same as correcting a typo, as the context can change entirely,” warned Ellison. “That is why it is important to have a record of the change, and perhaps even have it explained.”

This could be a case where it was the correct decision but was still handled the wrong way.

“YouTube might have made the right move by allowing the owner of the intellectual property (IP) to make these edits, but there should also be a disclaimer that this is an edited version,” Schreiner added.

On the one hand, artists can’t know what may be socially acceptable years or decades from now, but at the same time shouldn’t so easily be able to essentially edit or “retcon” their past.

“Given the ambiguities in the social media universe – a balance needs to be found between erasing the past and holding public figures accountable – yet making space for acknowledging regrets and apologies,” Schreiner continued. “Public figures are human and what might have been a joke at age 18 is far more serious at 40, particularly if someone is in the public eye.”