An anthropological introduction to YouTube

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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:

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:
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).

Channel: Education
Uploaded: July 26, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Author: mwesch

Length: 00:55:34
Rating: 4.86
Views: 630852

Tags: YouTube anthropology presentation ethnography digital ksudigg

Video Comments:
Anyadat (November 22, 2008 at 10:31 am)
Hi, I'm a student at Budapest Business School Collage of International Management & Business, I'm just writing my thesis - it's on the comparison of online and offline media (more from a business perspective rather than anthropology) - you're videos really help and inspire my work. Thanks! (If I would have a webcam, I'd post a video reply but I don't... :D)
danielbenayun (November 21, 2008 at 11:02 pm)
your a genius, thank you
TodaysB34st (November 21, 2008 at 9:00 pm)
55 minutesz1!!!
jeissonvm (November 21, 2008 at 3:41 pm)
wod mornigc
progvortex (November 20, 2008 at 9:25 pm)
Wow I watched the whole thing. Amazing
AnthropologyIsGay (November 19, 2008 at 11:45 pm)
And Fazzino is a douche. Fuck you UAF.

Also cocks
peterclay999 (November 19, 2008 at 9:14 am)
wow, when my friend sent me a 55 minute video, I gave him a hard time, saying I would never watch it... I did... very cool!!! It even has applications towards my job!
neolusion1 (November 17, 2008 at 10:05 pm)
thank you Prof.mwesch, you provided a very good subject matter for research, I'am studying in UK from Malaysia in Film studies. It is very interesting just by this post you voluntarily became my lecture, that plays a part in my education. great insights
Singingbelle27 (November 17, 2008 at 7:45 pm)
Wow That was awesome.

I do think an anthropological point can be made regarding people like myself who do not own a video camera of any kind, and are meerly watchers and 'favorite'ers, forced to reply only in the 'text comments' box... A purer YouTube audience?
Just my thoughts :)
levilisko (November 16, 2008 at 4:55 pm)
really insightful video