When heroes fly

Since its purchase by Google, YouTube has expanded beyond the website into mobile apps, network television, and the ability to link with other services, such as Discord and Nintendo. Video categories on YouTube include music videos, video clips, short films, feature films, documentaries, audio recordings, movie trailers, live streams, vlogs, and more. Most content is generated by individuals. This includes collaborations between YouTubers and company sponsors. Since around 2015, established media corporations such as Disney, ViacomCBS, and WarnerMedia have created and expanded their corporate YouTube channels to advertise to a larger audience. YouTube also acts as a social network by allowing users with a Google account to watch and upload their own videos, comment on videos, rate and respond to comments, like or dislike videos, create playlists, and subscribe to other users and channels.

With billions of hours of content and thousands of niche groups, YouTube has had a substantial social impact. It has been involved in many news headlining controversies surrounding allegations of excessive self-censorship, corporate favoritism, facilitating the spread of conspiracy theories, and endangering child safety and wellbeing.