The Advantages & Disadvantages of Learning English via Youtube.

As one of the most popular websites, YouTube offers amazing and useful
videos from all over the world. Of course, everyone knows about this website and
people use it for entertainment and educational purposes. Due to its popularity,
teachers and students have made the best use of it for teaching and learning processes,
including English. Although there are other websites, many prefer the YouTube
application.

The advantages of YouTube are its authenticity and can increase in students'
motivation in learning English. YouTube videos are a combination of visual context
and spoken language and enhance learners' ability to enjoy and understand English
lessons. Most students in the study agreed that they use YouTube in class to learn new
vocabulary. Moreover, these videos provide an attractive and interesting learning
environment and motivate them to learn faster and better. Among all social media
platforms, YouTube ranks first when it comes to content filled with various authentic
materials. From movie clips, cartoons, podcasts, speeches, stories, tips, health, music,
etc.

Another significant benefit of using YouTube is motivation. When a student

learns English via YouTube, they come in contact with the language of real people.
This allows them to learn English like native speakers, which motivates and excites
them to learn English. Learning English with YouTube is much better than learning
with books. This is because students can hear and see someone explaining or doing
something. Also, learning pronunciation with YouTube seems to be much better than
learning with a dictionary.

For example, if we want to learn English homonyms, wouldn't it be confusing

to just see words and not hear someone pronounce the words correctly? Or what if
you want to learn English in the Philippines and want to learn more about the
country? I bet you'd like to see real video footage of the beautiful white beaches and
attractive tourist spots, wouldn't you? In this internet-driven world, more and more
students are also looking for a new and fun way to learn English. Generally speaking,
students of the Internet generation are easily frustrated and bored with the traditional
methods of learning English. Therefore, learning English with YouTube videos and
teaching English can attract students' attention and interest.

YouTube videos are authentic because they show videos created by people
from all over the world and serve both teaching and entertainment purposes. These
videos can enable learners to "learn to communicate effectively in a foreign language
by experiencing the language as it's used by native speakers in real-life
communication" (Rogers & Medley, 2010 cited in Lin 2012). In this way, learners can
prepare for how they hear and speak English in the real world. With all the authentic
materials, learning English with YouTube can motivate people because they find it
interesting to understand real things.
Even though video communication offers countless disadvantages, the
personal side of the discussion comes up short. For example, students miss clues
about others' body language, which can be more revealing than what they are trying to
say. For example, it can be more difficult to engage someone via a video screen,
which means it can be harder to focus on what is being discussed in the meeting.
Instead of being in the atmosphere of the meeting, you are in your atmosphere, which
can limit how well you take in and retain the information.

The second disadvantage is that youtube is known to be a free website where

users have no restrictions on posting videos. This leads to some videos having both
violent and explicit content. Certain videos on YouTube are not suitable for all
children, especially teenagers. Even without warnings, this content could be shown to
children. However, by setting up a parental block, parents can protect their children
from such content.

Not every video on YouTube comes from reliable sources. Some videos are
uploaded only for business reasons. Some videos are made to sell products or promote
personal goals. It can take some time to distinguish genuine videos from unreliable
ones, and that's an investment, not every educator can make. And not all videos that
are popular necessarily contain the right information. Therefore, students need to
spend some time searching for videos with the right information about the topic.
 In summary, YouTube is used to achieve the goal of teaching and learning.
Using YouTube in class can change the situation and atmosphere in the class.
Students feel more comfortable learning when they watch the video. Their senses
focus on the video, so they pay more attention to the material taught through
YouTube. Using YouTube as a medium can be a good alternative for language
teaching in the classroom. This way, students speak more expressively and do not
have to worry about the phrases they use when speaking. Imitating native speakers
makes it easier for students to speak confidently in English. They are no longer
confused because they have learned how to speak English like a native speaker.