The vast majority of YouTube users hit the site for how-to videos

By Trevor Mogg Published November 8, 2018

Surely one of the greatest things about YouTube is its vast collection of videos that show us how to do things.

It’s really rather heartwarming that so many regular folks have taken precious time out of their day to fire up a camera and offer detailed guides on how to do just about anything you care to think of — from making a cup of coffee float in the air to more useful stuff like how to fix a squeaky door or how to learn faster.

Recommended Videos

The genre has even inspired a slew of spoof channels such as this one that includes an offbeat take on how to replace a door knob with a hot dog.

And while cat videos and music content are still wildly popular on the Google-owned streaming service, a recent study has revealed that the vast majority of YouTube users seek out how-to videos on the site, among other content.

Pew Research surveyed 4,600 American adults in May and June 2018 and published the results this week.

Among its wide-ranging findings, Pew discovered that 87 percent of YouTube users find the streaming site useful for getting information on how to do things.

The figures vary according to age group, with a higher percentage of users aged between 18 and 29 searching how-to videos on the site compared to those aged 65 and older.

It’s not clear how many how-to videos are on YouTube today, though just a couple of years ago the company put the figure at 135 million.

Keen to build on the site’s success at attracting users interested in learning stuff, YouTube announced in October that it plans to spend $20 million on educational content through deals with independent creators and professional producers.

As part of the announcement, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said the company was “committed to empowering both the creators who want to share their knowledge with the world and the users who come to our platform to learn — from home improvements to the basics of physics to grammar lessons.”

Popular how-to searches on the video-streaming site today include several that have been ranking highly for years, among them how to tie a tie, how to solve the Rubik’s Cube, and how to make a cake.

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Topics

Computing

How to make a GIF from a YouTube video

woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

Mobile

These are the apps people use the most on in-flight Wi-Fi

A JetBlue airplane at the airport gate.

At this point, it's easy to take for granted that we have fast and (mostly) reliable Wi-Fi in airplanes no matter where in the world we're headed. (Some airlines even offer it for free.) But things have changed a lot since in-flight Wi-Fi was first introduced over two decades ago and became truly widespread just 10 years ago. Just like our habits in using the internet -- both Wi-Fi and 5G -- have changed on the ground, our demands in the air are strenuous, and we increasingly are unwilling to put up with a drop-off in internet speed just because we're flying 400 mph some 35,000 feet in the air. Yes really.

JetBlue and its in-flight Wi-Fi provider Viasat recently hit a big anniversary, 10 years of partnership, and for the occasion gave us all a look at just how incredible the demand for in-flight Wi-Fi is, and at how we're all using it. JetBlue says over 15 million smartphones connected to its in-flight Wi-Fi this year alone, compared to just 2 million laptops -- and how are we using that connectivity? There are a couple of surprises.

News

YouTuber gets more than just clicks for deliberately crashing plane

YouTuber Trevor Jacob jumps from his plane shortly before it crashes.

YouTuber Trevor Jacob jumps from his plane shortly before it crashes. Trevor Jacob/YouTube

It was two years ago when YouTuber Trevor Jacob posted a dramatic video of his solo flight that ended with the plane crashing, though not before he jumped out of the single-engine aircraft to parachute to safety.