More than 13 million hours of video were uploaded to YouTube last year, the site reported. Already in 25 countries, this frenzy reached more than 700 billion playbacks in 2010 alone.

However, YouTube isn’t just a place to upload home-shot videos. Employers are using it to recruit employees, potential hires use it to get jobs and companies use it to advertise.

“I think it’s a very appropriate way to showcase clips and demo reels,” said UNA Web Communications Manager, Jeremy Britten.

A new study published in the March issue of Pediatrics showed that an astounding number of teenagers are using YouTube to upload self-injury videos, and are receiving millions of hits.

This got me thinking: What does the student body at UNA use YouTube for? Do students take advantage of this medium to land a job or post videos singing a song they wrote in hopes they’ll be the next Bieber sensation? Or do most prefer just to watch videos, without ever uploading one?

We surveyed 150 UNA students to find out what they used YouTube for. It turns out I could only find a handful that use the medium to upload their own stuff. No one used it to watch TV shows or movies. Several international students told me they use YouTube to watch political campaigns, ads and news.

But the majority of students on campus are still logging on weekly for two reasons: to watch music videos (thanks, MTV for replacing them with Jersey Shore and other lame, but entertaining shows) and watching popular clips for entertainment.

Britten wasn’t at all surprised by the results.

“People like to watch stuff that will make you laugh,” he said. “They also like to listen to music, and have it on in the background. It’s much cheaper than purchasing a song or CD.”