We are all familiar with many popular videos which go viral on YouTube. From cats, to singers, and music – we can find it all on that site. The famous phrase, “YouTube it!” is now the common response to keep ourselves updated with current video content. Let’s not forget about the stunt videos. Ah yes, these are the videos we can tune into to find some of the most daring people who are itching to show that they can do some of the most dangerous, weird, and shocking acts on the internet. Some do it with intentions of becoming famous, and others just like the thrill of doing something that many wouldn’t dream of attempting. What happens when these stunts are taken too far?

After watching ABC News last night, I realized that what we’ve been watching and laughing at all of this time on YouTube has now become a large concern to many. For instance, take this video for example:

The Cinnamon Challenge: For those of you who don’t know, The Cinnamon Challenge is a new popular viral phenomenon that has flooded the internet (specifically YouTube). The challenge is to swallow a teaspoon full of cinnamon spice without choking and/or coughing up the brown powdery substance. Sounds crazy? Well, thousands of people are doing it, and millions of viewers are watching it.

There are other viral videos such as the vodka eyeball… don’t ask. Also jumping off of houses, and many other common dangerous stunts. The point here is to gain popularity and views but this becomes an issue when young children are trying to emulate the same thing. However, there is an option to flag videos on the site that you feel are inappropriate for viewing. YouTube collects the data received for flagged videos, and deletes them. Are they able to find all of these videos? What happens when a video is not flagged, and millions are watching it? Would this hurt the reputation management of YouTube’s brand? Or will it only increase the amount of clicks and website hits?

What are your thoughts on this controversial topic?