According to Time Magazine, we are all the “Person of the Year,” and much of the credit for that goes to YouTube. YouTube’s begun to fulfill the promise of the Internet: Just a few short years ago, the national pastime of America’s youth (myself included, I confess) was sitting in front of a flickering TV screen addicted to the mindless crap (and the occasional thoughtful crap) Hollywood flings at us. YouTube helped change all that.
Today, more and more people under thirty are sitting in front of an unblinking LCD screen addicted to the mindless crap (and occasional gems) flung at them by their peers. The difference is – and I promise this is the end of an analogy inspired by an unpleasant trip to the zoo’s Bonobo cage – now anyone with a video camera, Final Cut and an Internet connection can fling their poop right back.Case in point: According to Time, YouTube’s turning point came when someone posted SNL’s “Lazy Sunday” sketch online earlier this year. Visits to the site jumped by over 80% and kept on rising. Time suggests that you check it out on YouTube, but good luck finding it. If it’s still there, it’s buried somewhere amidst page upon page of “Lazy Sunday” parodies uploaded by random people.But I think this is another case of the Media not putting two and two together. Around the time YouTube blew up, another video was posted to the site. It was much funnier, far more relevant, and even a bit inspiring. It was groundbreaking. Yet again, the mainstream media drops the ball. Here is what, I believe, actually led to YouTube’s success:
In case you’re wondering, this was apparently based on a strip from late 2005:
…and since nothing escapes C-Dog’s notice (it only took him a year):
C-Dog, “Other Guy” and I all want our royalties, YouTube.•••
