ShmoopTube

00:03

[Dino and Coop singing]

00:13

People have been interested in self-expression for…well, for as long as there have been people! [Guy makes a terrible painting]

00:18

From the earliest cave paintings…

00:19

…to the latest interviews, news articles, videos, songs, and art, there are a ton of [Different media types shown]

00:24

different media types that allow us to express our thoughts and ideas. [Guy using a laptop]

00:27

And just in case you were like, "eh, pretty good, but that list could use one more…"

00:31

then never fear!

00:33

Blogs are here!

00:34

The word "blog" might sound like a cat trying to cough up a hairball, but they're a bit [Cat coughs up a hairball]

00:38

more pleasant than that.

00:39

A blog is basically an online journal or diary. [Coop pointing at a blackboard]

00:41

And yes, there could be a blog about cats coughing up hairballs. [Blog titled 'Sophie's Hairballs]

00:44

Back in the olden days, people would use journals to record events and experiences in their life… [Person writing with a quill]

00:49

…and they'd usually hide it away from prying eyes.

00:51

With a blog, though, these personal experiences and thoughts are published on the Internet… [Guy hiding his diary under the bed]

00:55

…often made public so that anyone can read them. [Dino pointing at a blackboard]

00:58

Because hey, you never know when someone might be super interested in the history of cats [Girl using a laptop whilst surronded by cats]

01:01

and hairballs.

01:02

Because blogs are public rather than private, people sometimes write them to convince others [Guy windsurfing crashes]

01:06

to agree with them…

01:07

…or to bring attention to an important issue. [Guy with a head bandage on writing that kitesurfing is a bad idea]

01:09

Whether that's corruption in city council…

01:11

…or a 50% reduction of chocolate chips being used in the school cafeteria's chocolate chip

01:15

cookies, in either case, the truth needs to get out. [Kid runs away with half the chocolate chips]

01:18

One person who used a blog to change things was Malala Yousafzai, [Picture of Malala]

01:22

a young activist from Pakistan.

01:24

When she was only eleven years old, she started a blog about how difficult life was in Pakistan. [Malala typing her blog]

01:28

She lived in a part of the country controlled by a terrorist group called the Taliban.

01:32

They caused a lot of conflict and suffering in Pakistan… [Pakistan shown on the map]

01:35

…and among other things, sometimes banned girls from attending school. [Someone puts a no girls allowed sign up]

01:38

Although some kids might rejoice in being banned from school… [Kids looking happy on the school bus]

01:41

…Malala was definitely not one of them, and she was going to take matters into her

01:44

own hands.

01:45

Most people were afraid of the Taliban, and scared to speak out against them. [Picture of Taliban fighters]

01:49

After all, they're a terrorist organization, so if they're good at anything, it's creating terror. [The Taliban makes a kid drop his ice cream]

01:53

But Malala didn't care.

01:55

In her blog she wrote about how it was wrong for education to be denied to anyone.

01:59

She reached a huge audience…

02:00

…and ultimately became the youngest person to ever win a Nobel Prize. [Malala holding her Nobel Prize]

02:04

Yup. Blogs can be revolutionary.

02:06

…No, not the cat hairball blog.

02:08

You won't be winning a Nobel Prize for that.

02:10

Sorry to burst your bubble. [Girl looks disappointed]

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