When Will YouTube Reach a Billion Video Views Per Day?

I'm a fan of all technologies that give greater voice to community members because I value the richness that a diversity of voices and creativity bring to the human experience. Along with being a fan of Blogger, I'm also a big fan of YouTube. You might have heard that YouTube is growing at an exponential rate. An interesting question to consider is when will YouTube reach the billion video views per day mark? Currently YouTube is in the range of 200 million video views per day (with about 200,000 new videos uploaded daily.) It's looking quite likely that the billion video views per day milestone will happen sometime in 2008. Here's a poll to gauge when you think that might happen.

As I was thinking about this rapidly approaching milestone, I wondered if there's any 3-second video on YouTube that people might want to watch 10 or 20 times. I work at a public library, so I rephrased my wondering into a self-directed reference question and went looking for that 3-second video. There are lots of short entertaining videos on YouTube, but perhaps none more so than this comical ski accident. In this video it looks like the ski jumper ploughs headfirst into a snow drift. (Let's hope nobody got injured.) But is this a real person in the video? It sure looks like one to me. Look at the way their arms are moving as they try to balance themselves in the jump.

You've probably heard of some of the most famous videos on YouTube, but it bears going over them. Evolution of Dance has received 66 million views -- heading towards the 100 million views mark. My all time favorite is Jake Shimabukuro playing While My Guitar Gently Weeps on his ukulele in New York's Central Park. Unbelievable doesn't begin to describe the quality of this musical performance. (See also the live concert rendition with better video quality.)

If you think that nobody can outdo Jake Shimabukuro, think again. Hannes Coetzee, in South Africa, is in the same musical legend league as Jake.

On lighter matters -- for a good giggle check out Elephant Jumping on Trampoline. This video hasn't received the amount of attention it deserves. This juggling video takes juggling to a place you never before imagined.

What's most beautiful about YouTube is ordinary people sharing extraordinary talents. This family gives you three generations singing the song The Rose. (Keep watching until grampa joins in with the harmonica.) You want to see the sign language version of this song? You can view it in both British Sign Language and American Sign Language. (Hey, how come sign language isn't offered as a foreign language option in every high school? I would have taken it.)

When I think of YouTube I think of populist culture -- the culture that musicians like Harry Belafonte, Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger brought into our lives. Woody Guthrie would have loved YouTube. His immensely talented son Arlo and family can be found right on YouTube thanks to Arlo's wife Jackie, a multimedia geek who keeps uploading great new video clips. Highway in the Wind is my favorite, and My Peace, co-written by Woody and Arlo (with music added by Arlo) sends shivers down my spine.

Jackie Guthrie explained to me yesterday that My Peace was one of the last songs Woody Guthrie wrote before he died. He's telling us something. Are we listening? Jackie also explained that it's perfectly fine for that concert footage to be uploaded to YouTube by someone else -- and that she plans on uploading a cleaner video version of the song sometime. If you have a YouTube account and you'd like to stay in the loop about her videos you can subscribe by clicking on the Subscribe button at the top left of her YouTube account.

Let's take YouTube up to a billion video views per day. Let's do it for Woody and Arlo and all the others who've taken a moment to share their lives with others. So here's your homework. (You didn't think you were going to get out of this blog posting without homework, did you?) During Christmas vacation I want you to show cousin Shira about Jake's ukulele playing, and show Aunt Louise the Elephant Jumping on the Trampoline, and show Uncle Fred the Evolution of Dance. You get the idea.

Our humanity is all we have to share with each other. We should be doing it a lot more than we do.

My friend Rich Jaeggi, in Silver Spring, Maryland, is good at that. A few years ago I interviewed him via iChat videoconferencing about the community work he's been doing. Last night Rich sent me an email that one of the youth he's been training on video skills, Kevin Crockett, sadly died from complications following surgery last weekend. Kevin is still with us, though. He's right there on YouTube, teaching us things, if only we had the time and interest to listen.

Phil Shapiro

The blogger has been working to bridge the digital divide for 20 years in the Washington DC-area. He loves Macs, adores Linux and likes Windows. Reader responses welcome in the comments below or at philshapiroblogger@gmail.com

Digg

Comments