Help is a YouTube video away

The best or worst thing about social media is that you can talk to people all at once without having to deal with them in person or vice versa. This is where the "media" part of social media comes into play. There were times you would seek help when desperately needed, even with the most mundane of tasks. Things have changed considerably. Thanks to people who are "social" over the Internet.

Recently a friend told me about his experience on public transportation when a young man seated nearby asked if he could get some help tying his tie. Apparently, he was on his way to a job interview but had not yet learnt how to dress for one. So, my friend showed him how and counted it as his good deed of the day. But, social media may have stolen your right to feel good about such things unless you were showing a larger audience how to do so over YouTube and other portals.

From the simple act of tying a tie to cooking pasta to fixing a bug with your computer, there are tutorials available on YouTube. Some of these good Samaritans do it for their own self while others are paid to be 'experts' and 'little helpers' over the Internet. Services such as ExpertVillage or eHow have millions of videos and articles covering a range of categories such as cars, travels, business, weddings and even beauty tips!

So, what does this mean to the average person? Basically, if you have an internet connection you have no excuses to remain ignorant. Interesting thing on the eHow site today, is "How to Prepare for Daylight Savings" which is something we all might have needed oday. It is actually mind blowing and entertaining at the same time to see how detail oriented these tutorials are. I keep thinking of the movie I saw as a child, "Walk Like a Man" where a man raised by wolves is brought back to live in society as a person. Well, in this time and age all he would need is YouTube.

The best thing is there are people independent of any organisations who are giving you free advice. I learnt how to get a "glowing complexion" from some teenage boy halfway across the country. Yes, you read this right. A teenager who is a male. And, I thought I knew how to do my makeup perfectly. Hmm.

Photo Credit: Krissi Sandvik