You may remember a post where I highlighted a video that demonstrated what Web 2.0 was in a very visual form (see here). Well, I came across another great video from the guys at Kansas State University. Michael Wesch, Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University and head of the Digital Ethnography Working Group, presents a view of YouTube from an anthropological perspective.
From exploring the fact that more content has been added to YouTube in the past six months than in a lifetime of network TV in the US, through a catagorisation of YouTube videos, this is a really informative video. It's long (just shy of an hour) but I think time spent watching this is time well spent. Michael is a captivating speaker and manages to express things we think we know in different ways. From social media to online communities and social networks; you'll learn something new and understand better why people are motivated to take part and contribute online.
Some more reading
- Web 2.0 ...The Machine is Us/ing Us
- Serious about Social Media: Are We Losing the of Context of Our Lives?
- YouTube through an anthropologist's eyes
- Wesch on YouTube
- Michael Wesch and the Future of Education
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