YouTube celebrates 20th birthday: How the idea that led to viral hits and stars like "Gangnam Style" and "Baby Shark" was born
A verb was created from his name. “Missed the latest viral phenomenon? Just 'YouTube' it.” Life in the 21st century without YouTube seems unimaginable, doesn't it?
And it all started as an unusual idea by three former PayPal employees – Jawed Karim, Chad Hurley and Steve Chan – who activated their domain on Valentine's Day 2005, not knowing exactly where it would all go.
At the University of Illinois' 2007 commencement, German-born Jawed Karim explained: "We didn't even know how to describe our new product. To get attention, we simply said it was a new kind of dating site. We even had a slogan: 'Get involved, get connected.'"
But no one in the US showed interest in their site. Advertisements in specialized magazines in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, where they offered women $20 to post their videos on the site, didn't help either, but they didn't succeed.
"Like, comment or subscribe"
They changed direction when they noticed that users were instead uploading videos of dogs, vacations, and similar content. “We thought that was really interesting. We said to ourselves, ‘Why don’t we let users define YouTube?’ By June, we had completely redesigned the site, making it more open to a variety of content. And it worked.”
In its first year, YouTube attracted users around the world thanks to its simple interface and the novelty of allowing anyone to become a content creator – all they needed was a user account and a camera. Moreover, users could “like, comment or subscribe”, and content would be added one after another. This created an inclusive, interactive experience.
In November 2006, Google recognized the site's potential and acquired YouTube for $1,65 billion in stock.
The moment that changed everything
According to the legend of the creation of YouTube, Karim came up with the idea of coding a website for sharing home videos after searching unsuccessfully for footage of two completely different events in 2004.
In February of that year, the infamous “Nipplegate incident” during the Super Bowl in the US, when singer Janet Jackson’s clothes slipped during a performance with Justin Timberlake, sparked a huge interest in video clips. In December of that year, the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean caused people around the world to desperately search for and share videos of the disaster.
Today, more than 500 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
The platform has become home to viral videos that have left an indelible mark on global culture – whether it’s the innocent charm of “Charlie Bit My Finger” or the infectious energy of South Korean singer Psy’s 2012 hit “Gangnam Style.” The latter was also the first video to reach one billion views, and it also demonstrated YouTube’s ability to overcome cultural and language barriers.
The most viewed video on YouTube right now is "Baby Shark Dance" with over 15 billion views.
From anonymous to world stars
No story about the birth of YouTube can be complete without mentioning pop sensation Justin Bieber. His mother, Patti Mallett, posted videos of her son singing covers of popular songs in 2007, which caught the attention of manager Scooter Braun.
The rest is musical history, but his success showed that YouTube could be a springboard for undiscovered talent. Bieber's fame also illustrated how YouTube can level the playing field in the entertainment industry, allowing anyone with a camera and a good voice to become the next big star.
Hollywood is calling!
The same goes for the film industry. One example is the short film “Nothing, Except Everything” by director Wellesley Wang. The film, about teenage angst, which he made during his senior year of high school, went viral and has more than 4,4 million views on YouTube. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the Indianapolis Short Independent Film Festival. Wang is now working with renowned director Darren Aronofsky’s production company on a feature-length version of the film.
Similarly, Australian twins Daniel and Michael Filipu, creators of the YouTube channel "RackaRacka", achieved great success with their 2022 horror film "Talk To Me".
"How can I...?"
YouTube is perhaps the most famous place and source of useful tricks and tips – from “How to take a picture of the moon with an iPhone” to “Cleaning with Coca-Cola”.
Channels like TED-Ed, Khan Academy, and CrashCourse have transformed the platform into a virtual classroom accessible to everyone, wherever they are. According to a 2021 Pew Research Center study, during the COVID pandemic and lockdowns, YouTube experienced the highest growth of any social network as people looked for creative ways to spend their time.
Fun fact: Phineas O'Connell — also known as Billie Eilish's brother and her music producer — said in 2021 that he learned the basics of music from his parents, "and the rest from YouTube." He produced Eilish's debut album, "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?", which won several Grammys in 2020, including Album of the Year.
Criticism and controversy
However, the platform has also faced criticism for the way it manages copyright, for spreading conspiracy theories and inappropriate content.
Various measures have been introduced to address these concerns, including stricter content guidelines and improved algorithms to filter out harmful material. For example, the platform has faced criticism for its potential to spread vaccine misinformation and extremist content, leading to stricter governance rules and partnerships with fact-checking organizations.
Critics, however, claim that disinformation persists, and Google rejects EU regulations that would address it.
"What happened to the founders of YouTube?"
The video "Me at the Zoo" was officially the first video uploaded to YouTube on April 23, 2005. It lasts 19 seconds and shows Javed Karim standing in front of an elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo.
But unlike tech moguls who love to be in the spotlight, Karim, Hurley and Chan have largely led quiet lives since selling YouTube. All three have invested in various start-ups over the years, but have avoided the public spotlight.
One comment on YouTube perhaps best sums up their impact: “It’s crazy when you think that those three guys changed not only the internet, but the entire world.”
Bonus video:
