Youtube & Hulu

As much as I hope it does not continue in this direction, Hulu and Youtube are becoming part of network media control. The first, and for me, most annoying step towards this direction comes with advertisement. Youtube and Hulu now start off their video streams with a 30 second ad for any number of products or companies, (ads that we cannot fast forward through). However, at least Hulu gives us options. We can watch a longer ad before they stream our program without commercial interruption, or watch a quick one and then be interrupted later for another quick ad at the commercial breaks. In addition, we can choose whether the particular ad is of interest to us, or if we have no use for it, and want to be bombarded by something else. Thanks Hulu.

However, it is hard to knock advertisement, because whether we approve of it or not, advertisement keeps the media industry afloat. It is their main source of network revenue, even if it is at the audience's expense. Ads are everywhere, and they only increase by the minute and by the medium. However, like Google buying Youtube, and Hulu partnering with NBC/Universal, we can easily be heading is a direction where network neutrality can become obsolete if we must purchase internet use through packages.