Friction.tv - The YouTube for Issues

Fricton.tv has been billed as the Youtube for issues. Essentially, instead of singing midgets or silly pet tricks you’ll find videos on global warming and the war in Iraq. This is the stuff of contention; they don’t dumb down their rhetoric or add glamour appeal to their stories. How it works: Friction.tv operates on the basis of debates; anyone can record a 3 minute video on any issue. This is meant to spark some friction and create a heated argument. Friction doesn’t sanitize or censor content unless it’s extremely explicit. The site started out in the UK but has since moved on to the US. They offer a dozen different channels, ranging from politics and health to technology and business. If you’ve got something to say, Friction.tv is your platform.

“Friction.tv is an online platform for user generated news and opinion. We exist to give you the opportunity to air your views and respond to the opinions of others. You can debate issues of local interest to you or discuss points of global importance. Either way, Friction.tv will provide an interesting and stimulating alternative to the sanitised, agenda driven mediocrity of the conventional mass media.”

Friction.tv brings a much needed change of air from the likes of YouTube et. al. Participation in politics and world issues is on the rise. People want an outlet to be heard. Friction.tv gives them that. And they don’t go about censoring. Rather, they create heated debates where issues can be thoroughly examined and defined.

Will Friction.tv attract the masses? Most internet video draws in numbers because it is entertaining. People like to be entertained; politics is not something that spreads laughs around the world.