Before different social media platforms such as YouTube, friendships and commonalities between people extended a few blocks from ones physical home. Because this was the case, physical interaction between friends and family were forced upon each other not because of choice but because of simplicity and lack of other options. An issue that arises is difference of opinion between childhood neighbors. Imagine that all of the children in your neighborhood enjoyed playing the game of basketball while you were a fanatic of video games. Clearly, there is a conflict of interest between neighboring children in which the odd man gets left out. Therefore, the child presented in this case who enjoys video games must choose whether he wants to force himself to play basketball in order to to feel apart of a social community or stay in his room all day and play video games by himself.

Fortunately, the current decade has produced a social media platform, YouTube, that has enabled a global support system to those who would otherwise be unable to connect with local friends and family who do not share the same interests or issues. Instead of forcing yourself to become involved in certain activities that do not cater to your personality, YouTube offers a way for you to connect with peers around the world to discuss similar interests. 

For example, consider the time in a young adults life when he or she loses their virginity. This is culturally and socially considered a life experience that you will always remember. Perhaps before sites like YouTube, finding a competent and reliable person to discuss sex with was difficult. Now, YouTube consists of thousands of videos that address sex in a variety of different ways . He is not one single way to approach the discussion of sex. YouTube has successfully produced many videos that talk about sex in a way that is suitable for many different audiences. 

On a more serious note, YouTube offers a global community that openly discusses specific issues such as homosexuality and gay marriage. The ability to discuss such a significant event in ones life with a community who completely understands what you are going through via YouTube is revolutionary and was non-existent pre-Internet.