YouTube...Whatever You Want Is Here.

Almost anything can be found on YouTube, from Paris Hilton’s sex videos to movies to self-made videos uploaded by people from all over the world.

As a member of YouTube, you can download and upload whatever you want. You have the space of 100 MB and you have the option of setting it to private or letting the world see what you’ve got.

If you’re someone who just browses through YouTube, you have the option of not being bored—probably ever. Seriously, the videos are endless. If you don’t believe me, log on to YouTube.com and type in something random in the search engine. I guarantee you something will come up. This is coming from someone who has tried it.

The good news about YouTube is you can find whatever you’re interested in on YouTube. A friend of mine watches Korean dramas on YouTube because they’re not easily found in the United States. Plus, YouTube is free, which is awesome news to college students.

I found “Thumbelina,” an animation from childhood that I still haven’t been able to find a hard copy of. It was awesome!

The bad news is those who are caught in an embarrassing situation can also be found on YouTube and can be watched repeatedly. For example, a candidate in last year’s Miss Universe pageant who slipped and fell on stage in her evening gown. She probably won’t be easily forgotten.

Or better yet, Britney Spears’ performance at this year’s MTV Awards. Boy, did she get bashed about that one. A parody of it can also be found on YouTube—and some have claimed that it’s better than the real thing. It should probably be mentioned that the one playing Spears was a man wearing a blonde wig in scandalous ensemble almost exactly matching Spears’ when she was on stage. I thought it was hilarious.

Unfortunately those who are the subject of embarrassment can’t delete the videos either.

Surprisingly, fame has come of to some of those who uploaded their self-made videos. Many garage bands have gained popularity through YouTube. Marie Digby, a girl from the bay area, did an acoustic version of the song “Umbrella” by singer Rhianna. Digby’s version can be heard playing on the radio in San Francisco. She has recruited quite a number of fans—me, included.

YouTube has been tremendously successful since it was founded in February of 2005 by three employees of PayPal. These guys either had no life or are unbelievably smart. Nonetheless, they are ranking in big bucks due to their ingenious idea of video sharing.

Last year, “Time” magazine named YouTube “the invention of the year.” Google made a wise choice and bought the great invention in October of 2006 for a whopping $1.65 million—the biggest purchase Google has made in its history. (What isn’t Google buying?)

Some professors are even using YouTube in classrooms. Recently, my professor of fashion history showed the class a clip from YouTube that some college students had made about the discovery of Pompeii and how the city looks like today.

With YouTube skyrocketing, it is not surprising to find videos that are not so entertaining. As a matter of fact, some are quite shocking, like the one with actor Will Ferrell and the toddler who was swearing after every other word. Ferrell plays the role of someone who’s renting a house while the toddler plays the landowner. She comes to collect rent and cusses while demanding the payment. Where and who are the toddler’s parents?

Also, there are horrifying videos of people abusing animals and laughing about it on YouTube. Will it ever be possible to use these video clips as evidence against those committing these crimes? We’ll see.

Well, that’s that about YouTube. Who will be the next to surprise us on YouTube? You could be the next star—just don’t get caught doing something you don’t want the world to see.