An anthropological introduction to YouTube

Posted by admin on June 10th, 2010 and filed under ray charles anthology | 25 Comments »

presented at the Library of Congress, June 23rd 2008. This was tons of fun to present. I decided to forgo the PowerPoint and instead worked with students to prepare over 40 minutes of video for the 55 minute presentation. This is the result.
more info: http://mediatedcultures.net

0:00 Introduction, YouTube’s Big Numbers
2:00 Numa Numa and the Celebration of Webcams
5:53 The Machine is Us/ing Us and the New Mediascape
12:16 Introducing our Research Team
12:56 Who is on YouTube?
13:25 What’s on Youtube? Charlie Bit My Finger, Soulja Boy, etc.
17:04 5% of vids are personal vlogs addressed to the YouTube community, Why?
17:30 YouTube in context. The loss of community and “networked individualism” (Wellman)
18:41 Cultural Inversion: individualism and community
19:15 Understanding new forms of community through Participant Observation
21:18 YouTube as a medium for community
23:00 Our first vlogs
25:00 The webcam: Everybody is watching where nobody is (”context collapse”)
26:05 Re-cognition and new forms of self-awareness (McLuhan)
27:58 The Anonymity of Watching YouTube: Haters and Lovers
29:53 Aesthetic Arrest
30:25 Connection without Constraint
32:35 Free Hugs: A hero for our mediated culture
34:02 YouTube Drama: Striving for popularity
34:55 An early star: emokid21ohio
36:55 YouTube’s Anthenticity Crisis: the story of LonelyGirl15
39:50 Reflections on Authenticity
41:54 Gaming the system / Exposing the System
43:37 Seriously Playful Participatory Media Culture (featuring Us by blimvisible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yxHKgQyGx0
47:32 Networked Production: The Collab. MadV’s “The Message” and the message of YouTube
49:29 Poem: The Little Glass Dot, The Eyes of the World
51:15 Conclusion by bnessel1973
52:50 Dedication and Credits (Our Numa Numa dance)

The Numa Numa quote is from *Douglas* Wolk (not Gary Wolk as I mistakenly said in the talk).

Duration : 0:55:34


[youtube TPAO-lZ4_hU]

25 Responses

  1. crisb226 Says:

    I accidentally …
    I accidentally clicked on this video and then next thing i know 55 minutes have passed. Thank you.

  2. MaskaBeatZ Says:

    12:40 Steve-o …
    12:40 Steve-o Sobers up! Hahaha

  3. BGGRondo Says:

    This completely …
    This completely changed my vision about youtube… we’re together but so alone here.

  4. clariceave Says:

    55 minutes long, …
    55 minutes long, this!!!!

  5. nerfagent1 Says:

    PLEASE DONT READ …
    PLEASE DONT READ THIS. YOU WILL GET KISSED ON THE NEAREST POSSIBLE FRIDAY BY THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE. TOMORROW WILL BE THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE. HOWEVER IF YOU DONT POST THIS COMMENT something bad will happen. NOW UV STARTED READIN DIS DUNT STOP THIS IS SO SCARY. SEND THIS TO 5 VIDEOS IN 143 MINUTES WHEN UR DONE PRESS F6 AND UR CRUSHES NAME WILL APPEAR ON THE SCREEN IN BIG LETTERS. THIS IS SO SCARY CAUSE IT ACTUALLY WORKS THIS ACTUALLY WORKS

  6. lilwill3104 Says:

    a bit of …
    a bit of overthinking in my perspective but i like it… …nice job…

  7. Drakethatsme Says:

    We are one, yet we …
    We are one, yet we are individual. We each can reach out to 1, 10, or 1,000,000 people, all through that one camera. YouTube gives freedom, community, choice, and connection to our lives. We can create a whole world, a new self, and speak out. If one website can change so many lives, then one video can change lives, too. This video has essentially changed my life, and I hope it changed yours. Thanks, YouTube.

  8. jrm769 Says:

    wow its good …
    wow its good knowing how things were made

  9. BlueGasMask Says:

    holy shit.
    holy shit.

  10. judas21 Says:

    You’ll struggle to …
    You’ll struggle to find a better, more valuable video on this website.

  11. 33Kitty Says:

    Such an amazing vid …
    Such an amazing vid love it.! Think everyone should watch it. it should be mandatory for schools to show it to students. I know at least one of my teachers who would show it to all her students! Amazing done wish i was in your class.

  12. lilimig116 Says:

    @SAVXD that’s what …
    @SAVXD that’s what i was thinking

  13. Langotriel1 Says:

    @biggicool2 same …
    @biggicool2 same and i agree

  14. BoredDan7 Says:

    This was one of the …
    This was one of the greatest videos I have ever seen on youtube!

  15. MsKatieSummers Says:

    You are incredibly …
    You are incredibly knowledgeable. i enjoyed this video. i THINK I’LL SUBSCRIBE! =)

  16. tulleuchen Says:

    What a great …
    What a great presentation and video. I kinda wish I was in that class too. Makes you think a lot about youtube in ways you never though about before. Like a lot of other gems on youtube I found it accidentally while on someone else’s channel while I was trying to make some connections of my own.

  17. bridgethepokemon Says:

    I’m so glad I …
    I’m so glad I watched this all the way through! Very interesting!

  18. SAVXD Says:

    Why was Crank That …
    Why was Crank That Soulja boy an advertisement in this video….how does that even relate?

  19. arealbladeofgrass Says:

    Thanks a lot for …
    Thanks a lot for that..it was really well done. I feel immensely informed.

  20. mckt007 Says:

    My headphones got …
    My headphones got broken in the middle of this video

  21. mathboy74 Says:

    I am involved in a …
    I am involved in a master’s program that up until this point has been a complete waste of time. This may have justified the $10,000 degree. Thanks!

  22. mathboy74 Says:

    I had to watch this …
    I had to watch this for an educational master’s program that up until now has been a complete waste of my time. This may have justified the $10,000 dollars I am paying for my degree.

  23. wdsmathers Says:

    @Insinuative AND …
    @Insinuative AND HOW!

  24. wdsmathers Says:

    @Insinuative AND …
    @Insinuative AND HOW!

  25. wdsmathers Says:

    @Insinuative AND …
    @Insinuative AND HOW!

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