Columbia students are taking advantage of major social media sites to reach larger audiences. Take senior film major Luke Mattioda, who posted a music video on YouTube that has gained more than 6,000 views.

Social media have made uploading student material to the Internet easier than older distribution methods, because of its instant availability to anyone with Internet access.

Social media websites—such as Vimeo, a video sharing website, and WordPress, a blogging platform—give students a chance to make videos, upload them and embed links to their personal sites. These methods make it easier for students to develop their audiences and give students an advantage they didn’t have before, according to Mark Anderson, adjunct faculty member in the Television Department.

Mattioda produced a video for his song “Kreepin’ Ain’t Easy,” which he posted on YouTube in late August.

The song refers to “kreepin’,” the practice of checking the pages of friends on Facebook to see what they’re doing, looking at their pictures and

knowing their daily routine without any contact, according to Mattioda.

“Everyone does it, but no one admits it,” Mattioda said.

In the video, Mattioda and his friend, Danny Dresbach, parody Facebook as they reenact a day in the life posing as “kreepers.”

Columbia students also use YouTube in their classes.

According to June data from the Nielsen Co., YouTube is the sixth most popular online brand.

Anderson requires his students to upload video assignments to the site made in his Production Editing II class.

“This actually motivates them to make work they are proud of because they know it’s going to go out there, and the world is going to be able to find it,” Anderson said. “Their name is attached to it until YouTube goes out of business, which I don’t think is going to happen anytime soon.”

Anderson said he feels strongly about students using social media to build their audiences but worries about video content in the future.

“The great thing is everybody has the ability to post [videos to the Internet],”Anderson said.

“The bad part is everyone has the ability to post things. We have so much junk on YouTube, so much poor quality work. That’s why it’s so important for students to study this.

Anderson said that although he encourages the use of YouTube for students to readily distribute their work, he hopes it continues to be taken seriously.

“We cannot let go of the actual production quality or the actual pre-production of the work that goes into making videos and films,” Anderson said.

“Just because the distribution is much easier, we should still adhere to the quality of production we’ve done in the past.”

In addition to using social media websites to share videos, students also create their own television shows.

“The Miss Mells Show” is a monthly YouTube show hosted by junior art and design major Melanie Brownfield. Brownfield interviews entrepreneurs and people doing positive work within their community.

“We’re definitely living in the World Wide Web era,” Brownfield said. “Social media allows me to reach people who I wouldn’t normally be able to reach. There are people all [throughout] the country watching my show and all [throughout] the world. I have people in Africa watching my show.”

The past four months Brownfield’s show received an average 656 views per month.

“I’m known because of the Internet,” Brownfield said. “A lot of people who I’m networking with haven’t met me personally. We’re actually taking care of business. and the Internet has made it so you don’t have to spend as much money or time.”

Brownfield said because of media regulations put on television by the Federal Trade Commission, she wouldn’t have been able to build her audience without the Internet.

“The Internet makes a way for people like me, who have reason other than profit, to put our stuff out there,” Brownfield said.