YouTube's first video enters museum as digital history milestone
What's the story
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London has added a YouTube video to its collection. The clip, titled "Me at the zoo," is the first-ever upload on the platform by co-founder Jawed Karim. The 19-second video features a young Karim at San Diego Zoo talking about elephants. It has been viewed over 382 million times and liked more than 18 million times since it was uploaded on April 23, 2005.
Reconstruction effort
Reconstruction of the site
The V&A's digital conservation team has spent 18 months recreating the design and experience of the platform from December 8, 2006, the earliest documented online timestamp. The project was done in collaboration with YouTube's user experience team and London-based interaction design studio OIO. Neal Mohan, YouTube's CEO, said this reconstruction isn't just about showing a video but inviting people to travel back in time to witness the birth of a global cultural phenomenon.
Historical importance
Significance of the project
Corinna Gardner, the V&A's Senior Curator of Design and Digital, emphasized the historical importance of this reconstruction. She said it captures a moment in time during the early days of Web 2.0 and is an important chapter in both internet history and digital design. The first-ever YouTube upload is currently on display at the Design 1900-Now gallery at V&A South Kensington.