Monday, July 25, 2011

A Full Short In-Depth History Of The Internet Viral Video

By Adriana Noton


The history regarding the viral video is a long and important one. Viral video production are ones which become immediately and very popular after getting uploaded and shared through web sites or email. A lot of people associate them with comedy, but the clips can also be serious or depressing in nature. The videos have been around essentially since the dawn of the web and can be created by both amateurs and professionals.

The idea behind these clips have been present since the dawn of society. It began with the spreading of news and information from person to person and advancements in technology have allowed for the data to be shared increasingly quicker, first with the telephone and now with text messaging and internet sites.

The phenomenon behind this powerful and timeless sharing of information is studied by sociologists and psychologists. The general idea is that beliefs, patterns of behaviors, and information are essentially units of a specific culture and can reproduce themselves in the minds of their hosts. Which means that they can influence the beliefs of others thus perpetuating them.

In the early nineties, viral videos were mostly shared between people using emails. One of the first of these to gain international attention was dubbed the "dancing baby" video, as it featured a small cartoon baby dancing in place, and spent a few months being showcased in everything from television shows to commercials. Other early examples included short films about Santa Claus and humorous clips consisting of poorly translated video games.

Currently, thanks to the web, these videos are able to be shared along and enjoyed significantly faster. The exact reason that one clip becomes more watched than another is not totally understood but the hook utilized to keep a people interested is a huge factor, as is the clip's content itself as well.

These videos have had many powerful and relevant influences on the world also. One of the most profound ways they can impact today's society is via their potential impact on schools. For example, educators in the South started a site that was meant to share helpful and educational clips with other primary school educators. The website, which began in mid 2007, currently gets thousands of hits every day.

Producing a clip has become a popular method for musicians and small bands to share their hard work as well. Bands in the past had to do this the old way, a method consisting of making hundreds if not thousands of copies of their record and sending them off manually to agents and record companies. Once signed, the group's label had to promote their music videos and CDs tirelessly to get them seen by others. This process is now a thing of the past since a musician can gain fans by sharing and making online videos instead.

The vids have recently had persuasive effects on politics in America as well. A number of debates in 2008 were exclusively uploaded to popular sharing sites, opening them up to millions of viewers who otherwise wouldn't have seen them.




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