Now Anyone Can Documentary

The YouTube phenomenon has, to me unexpectedly, created the opportunity for amateur documentary making to grow tenfold. YouTube’s platform allows anyone with a simple internet connection to post and show their documentary/film instantly to millions of viewers. Many people worldwide have already made the most of this opportunity, as YouTube is full of amateur documentaries; some with deep and fascinating content and ideas, and others which probably only a few people on earth understand the point of them. This illustrates how YouTube facilitated the boom in amateur documentary making. There are only a few ethical restrictions to the content and appeal that such a film may have when using YouTube. There are no film companies and executives that the documentary makers have to impress before they can show their work to millions of people. It’s brilliant, and I see it as one of social media’s greatest successes!

It is amazing to be able to experience the views, perceptions and beliefs of so many other people for free, whenever one feels like it. The internet’s reach and capabilities allow us humans to share our thoughts and stories like never before; amateur documentaries being a prominent method of doing so.

Below is an documentary found on YouTube about the amateur Drifting scene in America, showcasing the typical type of amateur documentaries found online:



Documentaries themselves have become quite popular recently, found everywhere instead of just on ABC on Sunday nights. Many influential documentaries have reached the cinema screens throughout the last ten years, some of the more memorable being ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ and ‘Supersize Me’. We’ve seen that documentaries can be such an effective way to make huge social statements, and a method which draws on its’ informational and passionate nature to achieve a large impact.

So get on and surf the net for amateur documentaries, or make one yourself! There’s a wealth of lifestyle insights, views, cultural diversities and intriguing information waiting to be found and/or produced and shown on Youtube!