The Internet
By Volodymyr Kish
I think I state the obvious when I say that for most of us, the Internet
has become ubiquitous in our everyday lives.
It is the most widely used platform for communication, entertainment,
research, socializing, marketing and many other aspects of the environment
within which we live. A decade ago, few
would have predicted the explosive growth of the Internet or the usage
to which it has been put.
Back at the turn of the Millennium, most of the
internet applications we currently take for granted such as Facebook or YouTube
had not yet seen the light of day. Google,
probably the most widely used of such applications was just getting off the
ground, having been created in 1998. Facebook
did not arrive until 2004, playing catch-up to MySpace which had been
launched the year previous. In just five
years, Facebook went from zero to over 300 million users and a value
estimated at $5 billion.
YouTube, the fourth most visited website on the Internet
after Google, Yahoo! and Facebook, only got started in
2005. Within two years, in 2007, it was
consuming as much bandwidth as the entire Internet in the year 2000.
Although initially reluctant, I too have gotten
hooked on Facebook and YouTube, though I must admit that my usage
pales in comparison to that of my kids.
I have 52 “friends” registered on Facebook, which pales in
comparison to my eldest daughter’s 335 or my son’s 231. Through Facebook I exchange pictures
with various family scattered throughout Canada and the US, keep in touch with
what my favourite MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj is up to, what my friends in Ukraine –
Lubomyr Markevych, Myron Spolsky, Vasyl Pawlowsky or Lidia Wolanskyj are doing,
keep up with what is new in the lives of old and new friends, and engage in
little virtual conversations with whomever is inclined to respond.
As for YouTube, although it has been
around for a while, it was only recently that I started dropping in to take
advantage of its incredibly eclectic mix of video content. Now, seldom a day goes by when I don’t get an
e-mail from someone with a link to some interesting content on YouTube. I should add that the folks in
As an example, several weeks ago I received the
link to a most interesting video of the recent winner of the Ukraine’s Got
Talent TV contest. The video clip
shows the performance of an incredibly talented and creative Ukrainian girl by
the name of Kseniya Simonova whose forte is drawing in sand – yes, I
said sand, like the kind you find on the beach.
Words cannot do her justice, and I would encourage you to take a look
for yourself by going to www.youtube.com and searching on her name or going to
the following address directly - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=518XP8prwZo
Several months ago, I was steered to another
interesting performance by a young eclectic Ukrainian rock group by the name of
Los Colorados who do a rendition of Katy Perry’s signature song Hot N
Cold that will leave you shaking your head (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1upZz3a-7iM
) . They have many other tunes on YouTube,
and I must warn you that you will either hate what they do outright, or be
overwhelmingly addicted to their unique style.
For something completely different, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH_E6YSQq
To which shows a recent recruiting ad
for the Ukrainian army – it is guaranteed to raise your eyebrows and make you
smile.
If you want to see the Haydamaky perform
again following their triumph at the recent Toronto Ukrainian Festival, you can
find many of their songs and videos on YouTube, including this one - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkBJXDbJSnU
And, lest I am remiss in my self-assumed role as
promoter of Ukrainian salo, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHVDIP0xGxw
you will find a music video of a song
extolling the joys of salo!
This is but a taste of the Ukrainian content you
will find on YouTube – just go to the site and search on “Ukrainian” and
you will be both surprised and entertained with what you find.