Saturday, 18 October 2008

An Anthropological Introduction To YouTube..!

0.00 - Introduction, YouTube's Big Numbers . . .


  • 1948 - ABC started boadcasting
  • 9232 Hours/Day on YouTube used && 385 always on TV channels

  • 200,000 three minute videos (not "Mass Media")

  • 88% new && original content


2.00 - Numa Numa && The Celebration Of Webcams . . .


  • Webcams created in December 2004

  • Everyone then views Numa Numa on YouTube && copies the teenagers moves

  • Celebration of new forms of community && giving a chance to people on webcam to have power


5.53 - The Machine Is Us/ing Us && The New Mediascape . . .

  • The webs not just about information, but is about linking people.

  • Changes every 6 months && every 6 months theres A new way of linking people.
  • http://www.digg.com/ >> User Generated Filtering, users get together && give their opinions. they can give it A thumbs up, digg it or bury it.

  • Media's not content && not just tools of communication but media is mediating human relations >> "When Media Changes, Human Relations Change"


12.16 - Introdusing Our Research Team . . .

  • He has 10 undergraduated students && launch in to a study of YouTube every spring.

  • They watch YouTube videos && on the side have a sheet to analyse the video && they can upload videos any time and take notes too.

12.56 - Who Is On YouTube . . .

  • 35 && Over = 25%
  • Teenagers up to 17 = 25%


13.25 - What's on YouTube? Charlie Bit My Finger, Soulja Boy Etc . . .

  • 92 year old man playing a piano.

  • Most commonly uploaded videos on YouTube are home videos e.g. Charlie Bit My Finger..Again! (Viewed over 30 million times)

  • Approximetly 15% videos on YouTube are remixes or remakes of other videos.


17.04 - 5% Of Vids Are Personal Blogs Addresed To The YouTube Community, why? . . .


  • Due to the loss of community over time

17.30 - YouTube In Context. The Loss Of Community and "Network Individualism" (Wellman) . . .


  • People have less time due to work.

  • TV's are isloating


18.41 - Cultural Inversion: Individualism && Community . . .




  • Express >> People becoming more independant

  • Value >> But people still have a value for community

  • The more individual people become the more they long for community && realtionships


19.15 - Understanding New Forms Of Community Throught Participant Observation . . .




  • Core of his methodology >> You have to understand it to experience it


21.18 - YouTube As A Medium For Community . . .




  • People are building communities through webcam && talking to their webcams.

  • Talking to a unknown place && have a invisible audience.


23.00 - Our First Vlogs . . .

  • People make videos && do a few shots && retakes to make sure their hairs fine && the way they look.

25.00 - The Webcam: Everybody Is Watching Where Nobody Is ("Context Collapse") . . .

  • A lot of people can see these videos which is why people try to be something their not in their videos as they are aware that anyone anywhere can see them.

26.05 - Re-Cognition && New Forms Of Self-Awareness . . .

  • Everybody will be looking at you && one day you may look at yourself too on the video.
  • Theres new forms of self-awareness.

27.58 - The Anonymity Of Watching YouTube: Haters && Lovers . . .

  • "Some of the comments on YouTube make you weep for the future of humanity just for the spelling alone, never mind the obscenity && the naked hatred" >> (Lev Grossman)
  • Hatred caused by: anonymity + physical distance + rare && ephemeral dialogue = hatred as public performance.
  • Can Stare at other people instead of making them uncomfortable because they wont know your looking at them.

29.53 - Aesthetic Arrest . . .

  • Basically means people being overwhelmed && excited over seeing the person on webcam infront of them.
  • People can't experience this in every day life as they cant stare at people whereas on YouTube they can as the person in the video will not be aware of this.

30.25 - Connection Without Constraint . . .

  • YouTube offers the possibility of allowing people to connect more.
  • Media do not just distance us, it connects us in different ways.
  • It makes you feel distance, but sometimes that distance allows us to connect more deeply than ever before.

32.35 - Free Hugs: A Hero For Our Mediated Culture . . .

  • Juan Mann came up with the free hugs.
  • He came home from Sydney && had no one to communicate with && felt like he needed a hug && walked around with a Free Hug sign.
  • Annonymouse group of people coming together && hugging.
  • Began to spread && other people began doing it.
  • 30 million views && goes worlwide from YouTube.

34.02 - YouTube Drama: Striving For Popularity . . .

  • The way people try to get seen && get lots of views && by making the front page is by creating videos people will enjoy watching.
  • People want to be top rated && most viewed.
  • People competing to be one of these stars && be most viewed.

34.55 - An Early Star: Emokid21ohio . . .

  • He set up his first Vlog on April 3rd 2006 && six days later he gets a reply from a girl && turns in to a online love story.
  • Thousands of people tuning in to see them chat back && forth online on YouTube.
  • On April 26th 2006 it was shown that he was a false person && really lived in Rugby >> Some people found his real MySpace && from there they found out the truth about him so he was revealed.

36.55 - YouTube's Anthenticity Crisis: The Story Of LonelyGirl15 . . .

  • She started Vlogging in June 2006
  • In A matter of weeks she was YouTube's second most subscribed && soon debates arised amongst YouTubers regarding her authenticity.
  • People began calling her "fake" >> people became angry as they do not like being fooled.

39.50 - Reflections On Authenticity . . .

  • Every ones a producer on YouTube of themselves.
  • People are playing with their identity which is making people doubt YouTube && don't know whats real && what isn't real in YouTube.

41.54 - Gaming The System/Exposing The System . . .

  • People start putting sexy images so that more people will click on their videos so that they can be most viewed.

43.57 - Seriously Playful Participatory Media Culture . . .

  • You never know where a cameras going to be && if its going to be on YouTube.
  • Remixing is illegal && there should be laws to stop it on YouTube as its the same as remixing a film.

47.32 - Networked Production: The Collab. MadV's "The Message" && The Message of YouTube . . .

  • MadV's anonymous && encourages people to do the things he does such as writing on his hand to make a statement && make a stand.
  • Receives thousands of responses && many people writing on their hand a message.
  • People write comments such as "Love Yourself", "Come Together" etc.
  • They have very strong values

49.29 - Poem: The Little Glass Dot, The Eyes Of The World . . .

  • Behind the white glass there's everyone you love && all the people you don't know.
  • Its the eye of the world as many people can communicate from it to people all over the world.

51.15 - Conclusion By Bnessel1973 . . .

  • Creating characters gave him a escape of losing his son.
  • Its a way for him to live again && a chance for him to talk about what hes gone through.
  • YouTube helped bring him to live again which is why its very special for him.

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