YouTube allows people to communicate and share ideas on a global scale. One might assume this type of expansive network would be conducive to users getting to know each other. But it is virtually (no pun intended) impossible to get to know someone on YouTube. It is exceedingly easy to mold your own persona, and portray yourself in whatever light you choose. This includes the possibility of maintaining perfect anonymity on YouTube. This anonymity is a huge part of what shapes the YouTube community. With only a miniscule possibility of actions being traced back to them, users are free to say and do what they want. This unfettered freedom leads many to say or do things that are, to put it lightly, less than intelligent. It is this type of content that leads many people to incorrectly believe that we have nothing to learn from YouTube. If users forgo their right to anonymity, they can still portray themselves however they choose. Since anyone can claim to be or do anything, the YouTube community is characterized by collective skepticism. Although it is definitely for the best, this skepticism means users can never really get to know each other through YouTube alone.

Like Facebook, YouTube has millions of users interacting daily. But the nature of YouTube doesn't allow users to get to know anything real or certain about each other, which is quite antithetical to Facebook. This lack of a clear user identities shapes the YouTube community and helps make it one of the most unique and dynamic forms of social media. As a past texteo by Zoe Brunn states: "YouTube is a lonely space."