YouTube community

Michael Wesch, an anthropologist at K-State, presented An Anthropological Introduction of YouTube at the Library of Congress on June 23. The presentation is almost an hour long (so it's a bit of a committment to watch.) I've watched the first few minutes and it's very insightful. Wesch discusses the community YouTube is creating and the changes it is bringing to media.

The most interesting quote I've heard so far: "I don't think of (media) as content, and I don't even think of it as tools of communication. I think of media as mediating human relationships. And that's important, because when media changed, then human relationships changed. ...And that's why I wanted to suggest that we're gonna have to rethink all of these things, including ourselves."

How human relationships are changing in response to technology is fascinating to me. I'd like to say that I'm developing a theory on it, but that would be stretching it a bit. Right now I'm just observing and thinking.... (My groundbreaking theory will be out later this month.) :)

By the way Wesch's first video, Web 2.0...The Machine is Using Us, has over 6 million views (and ranked above superbowl commercials when it was posted).