ANTIGONISH, N.S. (CUP) — Double Rainbow, The Bed Intruder Song, Old Spice commercials, Greyson Chance singing Paparazzi, Keenan Cahill lipsynching Teenage Dream, Katy Perry singing with Elmo, Teach me how to Dougie, Kanye West's Runaway, and a three-year-old crying over Justin Bieber are all YouTube videos of 2010 that you have likely seen.

In fact, we as Canadians are the most likely of any nation in the world to have seen these cultural phenomenons. A recent report from comScore have declared Canada the undisputed "king of YouTube."

Canada has the largest percentage of Internet users that visit YouTube on a regular basis among the G8 nations at 71 per cent, topping even the U.S., who comes in with only 55 per cent.

One cannot deny the cultural influence and power that YouTube has over society today. With each new trending video, it seems like almost everyone is quoting lines from said video, trying to recreate something they have seen, or posting their own video responses to it. If I say, "Swan dive into the greatest night of your life," or "Hide your kids, hide your wife," you most likely know what I'm talking about.

Some observers have claimed that sitting in front of our computer screens watching random videos is quickly becoming our new national pastime. While this may seem laughable, it is not far off from the truth.

There is great concern that our culture is spending more time in front of a computer or television screen, rather than getting outside or being physically active in one way or another. In regards to our official national pastime of hockey, which we love so much, there are fears that it actually may be slowly dying in Canada.

No, our love for the sport has not diminished, as evidenced by the obsession with the 2011 World Juniors competition, and the painful reaction to our loss to Russia that filled cyberspace shortly after. However, the fact remains that enrolment and actual participation in the playing of hockey is on the decline. The well-respected magazine, The Hockey News, recently dedicated its cover story to this pressing issue.

While we cannot place the sole blame for our inactivity on YouTube, it is interesting to speculate what life would be like without it, and how we would spend those hours instead. Would we be a more ambitious society, instead of simply marvelling at the amazing accomplishments of others, or have we in fact used the site as a means of inspiration for ourselves? The debate can easily be made for both sides.

Whatever your opinion of the issue, we cannot deny the good that has come out of it; the careers it has made, and the dreams it has made come true. We need look no further than the homeless Ted Williams, who had a "God-given gift" of a perfect radio voice. Mere days after a video of him was posted, he had already landed jobs with Kraft Foods and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

So while we will for the foreseeable future continue to love the site, it is important to not get caught up in it all, and take time to appreciate our own world. Get out there and live your life 'cause who knows? You may find a double rainbow of your own. Just make sure to upload it to YouTube, so I can see it, too.