The first YouTube video, published on April 23, 2005, is a 19-second clip called “Me at the zoo”. The “me” in question is YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim, who is seen in front of an elephant exhibit giving commentary about the animal’s trunks. The “Me at the zoo” video, filmed by Karim’s friend Yakov Lapitsky, laid the foundation for what YouTube would soon become. Karim’s commentary clearly isn’t very in-depth. However, it is the epitome of user-created, amateur content that allows the creator to craft a specific narrative and become the purveyor of reporting. He is, indeed, the first YouTuber.
The first Youtube video Titled “Me at the zoo”
The same day, Youtube launched a public beta. The domain had been live since February 15, 2005. This was the humble beginning of something that changed how we watch television and how content is created and delivered.
Where the idea for Youtube came from
A common story is that Hurley and Chen developed the idea for YouTube during the early months of 2005, after they wanted to share videos they had taken at a dinner party at Chen’s apartment in San Francisco. Karim did not attend the party and denied that it had occurred. While neither confirming nor denying the story, Chen called it very digestible marketing.
There are conflicting stories about where the idea actually came from.
Karim said the inspiration for YouTube came from the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The controversy happened when Justin Timberlake briefly exposed Janet Jackson’s breast during the halftime show. Karim could not easily find video clips of either online, which gave him the idea for a video-sharing site.
Hurley and Chen said their original idea was a video version of an online dating service influenced by the website Hot or Not. They posted on Craigslist offering attractive women $100 to upload videos of themselves to YouTube. When they couldn’t find enough dating videos, they decided to accept uploads of any video.
The original Youtube logo
The original Youtube logo evoked the curvature and shiny surface of a glass cathode ray tube in a turn-of-the-century television. Youtube’s first video went live April 23, 2005.
In today’s times, the word “YouTube” and its logo are familiar to virtually every person over the age of two. The multibillion dollar platform boasts billions of users around the world and is the ultimate place for sharing videos of everything from informative deep dives to silly clips to the major movie trailers. YouTube’s impact on pop culture and entertainmentOpens in a new tab is immeasurable as a platform that has shaped internet trends, transformed how we consume news and seek knowledge, and, for some, led to international fame.
