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 phenomena behind this powerful and influential spreading of data is studied by sociologists and historians. The basic idea is that beliefs, behavior patterns, and data are basically units of a person's culture and can multiply themselves in the brains of their listeners. This means that they can effect another's beliefs and perpetuate themselves.

In the mid 90s, viral videos were generally shared among people via email. One of the original of these to garner world wide attention was called the "dancing baby" clip, since it featured a tiny cgi infant dancing in place, and spent a couple of months being featured in everything from TV shows to marketing campaigns. Other original examples included short documentaries about snow men and funny ones featuring badly translated games.

Today, thanks to the internet, these clips are able to get passed along and enjoyed dramatically faster. The exact reason that one video becomes more popular than another isn't fully understood but the hook used to keep an audience interested is a major factor, as is the content itself of course.

These clips have had a number of profound and relevant impacts on society as well. One of the most important ways they can contribute to modern society is through their potential impact on education. For example, teachers in Texas launched a website that was intended to share training and educational videos with other elementary school teachers. The site, which debuted in 2007, now gets millions of hits each week.

The clips have also become very popular methods for small bands and musicians to share their work. In the past, a band would have had to do this the old fashioned way, which consisted of making copies of their songs and manually sending them off to record companies and agents in hopes of garnering interest. Once signed, their label would have to tirelessly promote the band's CDs and music videos in order for them to be seen. Now, this process is a thing of the past and musicians can gain fans simply by making and sharing their videos online. If they are lucky, a musician's clip may even go viral and provide him with even more recognition and popularity.

The items have had an increasingly persuasive effect in the political world as well. In 2008, a number of the presidential debates were broadcasted and uploaded exclusively to a popular video sharing site.




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