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An anthropological introduction to YouTube

Michael Wesch
30.2K subscribers
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2.1M views 16 years ago
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: Everybod …...more
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Introduction, YouTube's Big Numbers

0:00

Numa Numa and the Celebration of Webcams

2:00

The Machine is Us/ing Us and the New Mediascape

5:53

Introducing our Research Team

12:16

Who is on YouTube?

12:56

What's on Youtube? Charlie Bit My Finger, Soulja Boy, etc.

13:25

5% of vids are personal vlogs addressed to the YouTube community, Why?

17:04

YouTube in context. The loss of community and "networked individualism" (Wellman)

17:30

Cultural Inversion: individualism and community

18:41

Understanding new forms of community through Participant Observation

19:15

YouTube as a medium for community

21:18

Our first vlogs

23:00

The webcam: Everybody is watching where nobody is ("context collapse")

25:00

Re-cognition and new forms of self-awareness (McLuhan)

26:05

The Anonymity of Watching YouTube: Haters and Lovers

27:58

Aesthetic Arrest

29:53

Connection without Constraint

30:25

Free Hugs: A hero for our mediated culture

32:35

YouTube Drama: Striving for popularity

34:02

An early star: emokid21ohio

34:55

YouTube's Anthenticity Crisis: the story of LonelyGirl15

36:55

Reflections on Authenticity

39:50

Gaming the system / Exposing the System

41:54

Seriously Playful Participatory Media Culture (featuring Us by blimvisible

43:37

Networked Production: The Collab. MadV's "The Message" and the message of YouTube

47:32

Poem: The Little Glass Dot, The Eyes of the World

49:29

Conclusion by bnessel1973

51:15

Dedication and Credits (Our Numa Numa dance)

52:50
An anthropological introduction to YouTube
12KLikes
2,129,705Views
2008Jul 26
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:    • Us | Multifandom   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).

Follow along using the transcript.

Michael Wesch

30.2K subscribers