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Written by Knight Ridder
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Wednesday, 12 April 2006 |
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Just one visit to the Web’s latest "IT" site can serve up a most weird and wonderful visual feast. On my menu one recent work day:
• The controversial Scientology-themed, Tom Cruise-spoofing “Trapped in the Closet” episode of South Park.
• Fort Worth’s Landmark Tower implosion.
• Some dude sitting in his bedroom playing Pachelbel’s Canon in D on electric guitar.
• A monkey doing karate.
This is YouTube, a rabidly popular video sharing site that’s taking the Internet by storm.
Even in the warp speed of the digital age, the pace of YouTube’s rocket into the zeitgeist is astounding. It’s gone from pipsqueak to major media player in what feels like 60 seconds flat. It was a smart idea that caught a wave at the right time, and now it’s giddily feeding a few of our most human cravings: the urge to share, connect, and to see it for ourselves.
Once a relatively off-the-map site known largely for goofy amateur video offerings, YouTube vaulted into our consciousness several months ago on the strength of a video clip called “Lazy Sunday,” a “Saturday Night Live” digital short film.
This is known as “viral video” — a clip so funny or must-see that it spreads from user to user through cyberspace with the speed of a virus.
Certainly, YouTube doesn’t have a monopoly on viral video. More and more sites now offer video sharing: Google, Yahoo!, AOL and MSN all offer the service, as does a site called iFilm. But none of them can claim the runaway success of YouTube.
Why? For the slightly more Web-savvy, it’s possible to insert a YouTube video onto a blog, Web page or a MySpace profile.
And possibly for reasons such as the ones we list here.
NOW YOU SEE IT
Our recent odyssey on YouTube unearthed a treasure trove of nostalgia and weirdness. It’s only fair to share some of our favorites:
NEED WE SAY MORE?
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