The video is short – only 19 seconds, not particularly convincing. Viewers are allowed to click before exiting.
A grainy footage of a man standing in front of an elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo on April 23, 2005, said, “It's fine.
Still, 20 years after its remarkable start, YouTube is now the foundation of the media ecosystem. That's where people are looking for music videos and 4 hour hotel reviews. It is a platform for new stars and conspiracy theorists. This is a repository of vintage commercials and 10 hours of ambient noise. It disrupts traditional television and created a world of video creators who deliver content to all the imaginable niche interests.
For each YouTube video you watch, there are hundreds of millions of people you will never see.
Let's take a look back at some of the biggest moments in YouTube history.
The first video uploaded to YouTube is titled “Me at the Zoo,” and Jawed Karim, one of the platform's founders, praises the elephant at the San Diego Zoo. Karim founded YouTube in February 2005 with Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, but left the venture in 2006.
December 17, 2005
Lazy Sunday
The “Saturday Night Live” music video “Lazy Sunday” was probably the first YouTube video to go viral. The video in which cast members Cris Pernell and Andy Samberg rapped about cupcakes and movie snacks was uploaded quickly by fans after it aired on December 17, 2005.
October 9, 2006
Google buys YouTube
YouTube quickly became the home of a viral hit. In 2006, it included “Flea Market Montgomery”, “Charlie the Unicorn” and “Evolution's Dance.”
Viacom, Microsoft and Yahoo have expressed interest in purchasing YouTube, attracted by the growing audience. In October 2006, Google announced it had acquired the platform for $1.65 billion.
2007
Beaver Fever
“Chocolate Rain”, “Charlie Bit My Finger”, “Shoes” and “Dropping Britney” were one of the YouTube videos that caused stirring in 2007.
Also, home videos of little Canadian kids with loud voices were building up a large, small fanbase. Importantly, they also attracted the interest of R&B singer and songwriter Ausher and aspiring music manager Scooter Braun. Mr Brown signed the child, followed by Justin Bieber and Beaver Fever.
January 31, 2009
Is this real life?
David Devore Sr. posted a video of his 7-year-old son David.
Young David said in an interview at Tamron Hall's talk show in January that he knows he is famous.
“I was seven when it first happened, and a week later, we were in New York for the first time,” he said.
2010
ASMR
Eat crab. Tapping of nails. Whisper the name of the item on your grocery receipt. For some, these sounds evoke an autonomous sensory meridian response, a term coined in 2010, or a brain-covered sensation recognized as ASMR.
March 2011
It's Friday, Friday!
YouTube was already full of terrible amateur songs when the 13-year-old music video, “Friday” called Rebecca Black, attracted public attention and armchair critics were handed over online.
Black still makes music and works as a DJ this spring and summer. She is a guest on Katy Perry's tour and a solid pink disco tour headlighted by drug artist Trixie Mattel.
March 5, 2012
“Kony 2012”
“Kony 2012” did not fit existing viral molds. It was about Central African warlord Joseph Connie, a nonprofit organization, 30 minutes long created by an invisible child.
Still, the video had 100 million views just a week after its release, with the help of celebrities such as Bieber, Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey.
“Kony 2012” ultimately has a complicated heritage, and Kony's location remains unknown. A hearing of war crimes and crimes against humanity against him is scheduled for September 9th at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
December 21, 2012
“Gangnam Style” hits 1 billion
Korean singer and rapper Psy released a music video for his song “Gangnam Style” in July 2012, and by the end of the year it became the first video on the internet, reaching 1 billion viewing. In 2022, Psy told the New York Times that the song's success bothered him.
“The song is written by the same person. The dance moves are the same person and are performed by the same person. They are all the same, but what was special about that one song?” Psy said. “To this day, I don't know yet.”
October 29, 2014
Repayment of a small desk
Musician T-Pain has been best known and often criticized for years. That changed when he appeared in NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series.
The popular YouTube genre features people who employ people who photograph mobile phones, make-up, vacuum cleaners and other products from packaging and explain them in clinical detail.
One of the most successful creators of boxed videos is Marques Brownlee. He has unboxed items such as the original sealed iPhone, PlayStation 5, and AirPods Max headphones. As the audience grows, after years of reviewing technology, he graduated from university and became a full-time YouTube creator in May 2015. Today, he has 19.9 million subscribers and is a respected voice in consumer technology.
June 2016
“Baby Shark” (Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo)
The world domination of the “baby sharks” began quietly. In November 2015, the song's video was posted to YouTube by Seoul-based SmartStudy, which produced children's videos under the Pink Phong brand.
Pink Phone remixed the song, added new beats, and dropped the inevitable version of “Baby Shark” in June 2016. With 15.8 billion viewing, it's not yet.
January 13, 2017
“Despacito” breaks out of “Gangnam Style”
The music video dominates YouTube's most viewed list, but none tops Luis Fonsi's “Despacito,” featuring Daddy Yankee. This video was filmed in Puerto Rico. Here, both artists come from and are the most viewed music videos on YouTube. It is also one of the most watched videos to date, with over 8.7 billion viewings.
August 2018
Test of Free Speech
Like all social media platforms, YouTube is constantly struggling to decide which content to allow. In 2018, he joined several other companies and deleted most of the posts and videos from right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his website Infowars.
Other prominent voices restricted on the platform include President Trump and Andrew Tate. Andrew Tate is an influencer known for his misogynistic views and wealthy wealth views. (YouTube overturned the suspension of Trump's account in March 2023.)
February. 9, 2021
“I'm not a cat.”
Countless video call failures have been lost in history during the coronavirus pandemic. The preserved featured Texas lawyer Rod Ponton. When Rod Ponton attended a virtual hearing in a civil forfeiture case, he couldn't understand how to turn off the zoom filter that looked like a grey cat with sad eyes. “I live here,” Ponton told the court. “I'm not a cat.”
Mr. Ponton then embraced the brush with internet fame. “During the dark days of the pandemic, everyone has had moments of humor and sanity,” he told The Times this year. “Even at my expense, I'm happy that it happened.”
November 24, 2021
Mrbeast plays “Squid Games”
Jimmy Donaldson, known as Mrbeast, created a YouTube account in 2012 while in middle school. Ultimately, he was successful in a video format that involved giving money to people in need. His most popular video is “A $456,000 squid game in real life!” Starting November 2021.
2023
Check out this podcast
Podcasts, once an audio-only media, have been frequently recorded on videos and posted on YouTube.
According to a time analysis of data published by Edison Research, in the final quarter of 2023, 16 of the top 30 podcasts were available as filmed videos. Over the same period two years ago, seven of the top 30 podcasts were available as filmed videos.
April 11, 2024
Conan melts with “hot things”
“Hot Ones” was an interview show that sampled an increasingly spicy hot sauce on chicken (or vegan) wings, and had several hit episodes before the arrival of traditional television fixtures Conan O'Brien.
His indifferent performance – he looks unbelievable as he straightens the sauce from the bottle – “Conan O'Brien” has been trending online for days. “A lot of my friends went online and thought I was dead,” he told The Times.
The chicken-based interview show is becoming a recognized stop on the celebrity PR circuit with “Chicken Shop Dates” hosted by Amelia Dimoldenberg, creating its own viral moment.
