Videocracy: How YouTube Is Changing the World . . . with Double Rainbows, Singing Foxes, and Other Trends We Can't Stop Watching

Description

From YouTube's Head of Culture and Trends, a rousing and illuminating behind-the-scenes exploration of internet video's massive impact on our world What we watch, create, upload, follow, subscribe to and share matters - It reveals more about ourselves and our society than we could imagine. YouTube is the biggest pool of cultural data since the beginning of recorded communication, with four hundred hours of video uploaded every minute. Its viral fads, endless tutorials and colourful personalities provide us with surprisingly profound insight into human nature - in all its glory and ignominy. Through rousing and illuminating behind-the-scenes looks at beloved videos and famous trends, Videocracy reveals internet video's massive influence in our world, explains how awkward dance moves become global phenomena and paints a vivid, multi-layered and unexpected portrait of modern culture.

Kevin Allocca is Head of Culture and Trends at YouTube, where he has spent more than seven years tracking and explaining trending phenomena. He is one of the world's leading experts on viral video. Allocca has given conference keynotes around the world on web video culture, including a TED Talk that has been viewed more than two million times. He's also obsessed over more videos than every teenager and serial workplace procrastinator you've ever met. He lives in New York City. @shockallocca

A fascinating and illuminating book. Essential reading for everyone who wants to understand the surprising power and reach of internet video * Jonah Berger, New York Times bestselling author of Contagious * Refreshingly, the author offers more than just a history of YouTube; he takes on the role of anthropologist as he riffs on the current state of popular culture and content consumption ... An insightful look into the inner workings of YouTube and its wide-ranging influence * Kirkus * Allocca gleans cogent insights into the human psyche from his analysis of popular clips, vlogs, and communities on YouTube ... An entertaining overview of a popular digital platform * Publishers Weekly * If video is the future of communication and entertainment, this book is a road map to the future. Inside are clues to creating better ads, music, comedy, education, and yes, cat videos * Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take * Offering an insightful and nostalgic backstage tour, Kevin Allocca reveals how YouTube tells our collective story * Jeffrey Katzenberg * Breezy and packed with stories about fun viral videos -- Steven Poole * Guardian * Allocca tells us pretty much everything we might want to know about YouTube, from the ridiculous numbers (the pop song Gangnam Style has been watched more than two billion times) to the effect YouTube has had on politics, policing, advertising, and television ... This book certainly makes you think, not just about YouTube, or even the internet, but about the history of culture -- William Leith * Evening Standard *