{"id":96163,"date":"2008-06-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2008-06-25T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2008\/06\/25\/anthropology-of-youtube\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:17:52","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:17:52","slug":"anthropology-of-youtube","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2008\/06\/25\/anthropology-of-youtube\/","title":{"rendered":"Anthropology of YouTube"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Library of Congress invited Michael Wesch to deliver the third of four “Digital Natives”<\/a> lectures. Wesch, creator of the world-famous YouTube video, “The Machine is Us\/ing Us,”<\/a> presented the “Anthropology of YouTube” to a packed, fascinated and amused audience on Monday. <\/p>\n\n

He kicked off his talk by showing the video that sparked what he called the first worldwide participatory movement in the YouTube phenomenon, “Numa Numa.”<\/a> While the audience laughed at the silly dancing in the video, Wesch pointed out the deeper implications of the video and the over 58,000 responses it provoked: it was the beginning of a new, user-driven community in which everyone is invited to participate. Respondents to and viewers of “Numa Numa” were “celebrating” a new sense of empowerment, community, and global connection. <\/p>\n\n

Wesch said that there are now well over 200,000 three-minute videos posted on YouTube. About half of those videos are posted by 18-24-year-olds. Pew Internet reports have also tracked the increase in video-sharing in recent years as well as the social nature of online videos. <\/p>\n\n

See our “Online Video” report here<\/a> and our “Teens and Social Media” report here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Beyond the statistics that prove the ever-growing YouTube population, however, is the expanding and deepening sense of an actual community among YouTube users. Wesch, an anthropologist, is keeping a keen eye on this community. <\/p>\n\n

According to Wesch, at least 10,000 videos a day are addressed to the “YouTube community,” many users report “profound experiences” on YouTube, and most significantly a sense of shared values is emerging from the community. Wesch displayed two YouTube video campaigns in particular as evidence of the emerging values and sense of community: “Free Hugs”<\/a> and “The Message.”<\/a> <\/p>\n\n

At the same time video-sharers and vloggers are growing as a community, they are becoming more aware of themselves through the YouTube community and through the bridging of public (internet) and private (home\/bedroom) spaces. On YouTube, users can maintain their increasing independence while at the same time satisfy their desires for stronger relationships. <\/p>\n\n

These social trends and values will be important to keep in mind as we continue to study social media in general and video-sharing in particular. <\/p>\n\n

A video of the lecture will be posted by Mike Wesch on YouTube<\/a> in the coming weeks.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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