The YouTube Effect

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The YouTube Effect

Released Jul 7, 2023

1h 39m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

20 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

The story of YouTube is both inspirational and cautionary; the video-sharing website appeared in 2005 and quickly grew to become one of the most ubiquitous and powerful media platforms in the world. It is impossible to overstate its impact on global culture by providing easy and immediate access to news, entertainment media and other vital forms of information. It has, however, helped radicalize some of its viewers with right-wing propaganda and other dangerous forms of media. The story of YouTube is the great dilemma of our times; the technology revolution has made our lives easier and more enriched, while also presenting dangers and challenges that make the world a more perilous place. And at this extraordinary moment in history, it is the story of how we got here and where we're going.

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Olly Richards

Empire Magazine

An ambitious documentary on one of the most intriguing, frightening phenomena of our time. The attempt to cover every aspect of a broad topic results in an intriguing if slightly disjointed watch.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 11, 2023

Full Review

Christy Lemire

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

Really well done.

Jul 21, 2023

Full Review

Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

Core concern about its [Youtube] dangers is what really drives The YouTube Effect, and re-enforces its central finding that it has had an undeniably corrosive effect on our lives, even as we've fallen for its steady stream of pablum and bootlegged shows.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 13, 2023

Full Review

Joseph Tomastik

Loud and Clear Reviews

A great summary of where YouTube came from and why we should both celebrate and be afraid of where it is now.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 21, 2024

Full Review

Anne Brodie

What She Said

YouTube can’t separate negative and positive and negative videos; it just wants clicks. Vulnerable people gain ground. YouTube helps fire the culture wars and the dumbing down of discourse; the dark side of algorithm life is here.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 11, 2023

Full Review

Jonathan W. Hickman

The Newnan Times-Herald

... an interesting time capsule that will be studied for years to come.

Rated: 7/10

Aug 4, 2023

Full Review

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J M

I am an avid YouTube viewer - it's on every evening while I'm cooking and working in the kitchen. I appreciate the short-term commitment to ten-minute videos that don't require my full attention while doing other things. My interest in YouTube, however, doesn't extend my usage of it. So this documentary did nothing for me. Those more interested in the origins and growth of this phenomenon will likely be more enthralled. For me, it was a combination of things I didn't care about and things I already knew. It talks about the dangers of "fake news" and false representation as if we didn't know it already existed. And, I have to be brutally honest, I am so over-saturated with Trump right now that the several scenes detailing his misconduct and insurrectionism just turned my stomach. I know that's not the fault of the filmmakers - it's just what happens when you watch certain movies at certain times in your life. In the end, I don't feel like I learned anything new or anything significantly important. And that's the one thing I count on when watching documentaries such as this. - Jeff Marshall, Movie Blogger (Facebook)

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/18/24

Full Review

dave d

Unfocused, but important, 'The YouTube Effect' can't get its arms around a vast subject other than to demonize it. Documentarian Alex Winter briefly touches on issues that need a longer look, while not breaking a lot of new ground. The connection of Google and YouTube is barely broached however in a way that it needs to be. It's fine and interesting and fear stoked. Where are we going? Who knows. Final Score: 5.3/10

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/22/23

Full Review

Ted R

A movie with a political agenda masquerading as a documentary. I was hoping for an interesting dive into the details of YouTube's history, along with thoughtful commentary about the problems it created. This was not it.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/08/23

Full Review

m b

What an incredibly informative documentary. So scary. Beautifully done. A MUST-WATCH for everyone. It will make you think about what you see every day instead of simply accepting information at face value.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/16/23

Full Review

Google S

A super hypocritical documentary that started off decent but ends with all the wrong points, including anything positive to say. Basically a brain washing movie for the masses to get us to give up more of our rights/ ask for more censorship.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/15/23

Full Review

Shannon F

An eye opening and well told story! Had me hooked the whole time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/15/23

Full Review

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Alex Winter

Director

Hany Farid

Self

Ian Hecox

Self

Anthony Padilla

Self

Nitasha Tiku

Self

Susan Wojcicki

Self

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Synopsis

The story of YouTube is both inspirational and cautionary; the video-sharing website appeared in 2005 and quickly grew to become one of the most ubiquitous and powerful media platforms in the world. It is impossible to overstate its impact on global culture by providing easy and immediate access to news, entertainment media and other vital forms of information. It has, however, helped radicalize some of its viewers with right-wing propaganda and other dangerous forms of media. The story of YouTube is the great dilemma of our times; the technology revolution has made our lives easier and more enriched, while also presenting dangers and challenges that make the world a more perilous place. And at this extraordinary moment in history, it is the story of how we got here and where we're going.

Director: Alex Winter
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd, Glen Zipper, Alex Winter
Screenwriter: Alex Winter
Distributor: Drafthouse Films
Production Co: Valhalla Entertainment, Olive Hill Media, Trouper Productions, Time Studios, Zipper Bros Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 7, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 14, 2023
Runtime: 1h 39m

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