Five billion pieces of Junk!

Today’s generation is sucking up video like a turbocharged Dyson vacuum cleaner. About eight months ago, You Tube reached over five billion views a day and was growing at around 60% a year. Before long, that means every person on the planet will be watching at least one YouTube video each every day.

Except they won't be. YouTube's blocked in China. It's unheard of at your parent's house. And last I heard, much of the world still lacks computers or internet access.

That leaves you and me, and it means we must be watching a couple of YouTube clips a day. And our kids. They're watching a gazillion.

About that – our kids (and trust me, you fresh-out-of-adschool readers, parenthood is just around the corner for you too) are the people who'll shape the world for the next 30 years or so. They'll get to say how the little things go, like whether flares make a comeback (just remember, guys, those who forget history are condemned to relive it), whether to let the world's forests disappear, and whether to bomb people we don't like or try talking to them just to see if that makes a difference.

 Worried? Don't be. On the other hand, do be.

 Online video has brought huge benefits. Medical techniques that once would have taken ages to get from one city to another are now being videoed, posted online, and tried out on the other side of the globe within hours. Check out jove.com, doctor.

 Then again, unlike TV or book publishing, there's no quality control online. That crap video that no self-respecting TV channel would have screened in the past now has no problem finding its way online, just waiting for your unsuspecting mouse click. Until you actually watch a clip, you really have stuff-all idea of what you're in for.

That sucks.

But every minute spent watching junk is one minute you ain't getting back. And I don't know about you, but despite my best efforts, I'm noticing that there seem to be more of those lost minutes in my life than there used to be.

TED founder Chris Anderson claims that in a few years 90% of the world's information will be in video form. That suggests to me that there's going to be a lot of useless information in the world – even more than now – along with all the great stuff that's used to entertain and inform us.

 That's the price of freedom, and I'm not complaining about it. But as a professional video producer I can't help but wonder where my responsibilities and yours lie.

 I don't have a clear answer, and I'm certainly not about to climb on any high horses. No one ever died because they watched a piece of crap.

 All the same, the explosion in online video has increased my resolve to make sure that everything I produce is worth someone else's time. Even if it's only 30 seconds long. Even if it's about things that ultimately don't  matter that much – like shampoo or tyres or beer…

 Like the printing press, radio, TV and the pre YouTube internet, the explosion in online video is bringing way more dross than valuable content into existence. It's a small price to pay for the benefits it delivers. But us grown ups – the ones with our hands on the expensive video gear – should also be mindful about what we shove into our kids' brains.

That's all I'm saying.