The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in South Kensington has announced a landmark acquisition in the world of digital design: the first-ever video uploaded to YouTube, titled Me at the Zoo. In collaboration with YouTube, the museum has also reconstructed the platform’s original 2005/2006 watchpage, allowing visitors to experience the “birth of the creator economy” as it looked nearly two decades ago.
Stepping Back in Time: The 2006 Interface
Using internet archives from December 2006—the oldest comprehensive records available—the V&A has rebuilt the specific design and user experience of early YouTube. This reconstruction offers a rare look at the nascent stages of digital social interaction, featuring the original badges, star ratings, and recommendation panels that have since become global standards for media platforms.
YouTube Chief Executive Neal Mohan described the project as a vital piece of cultural preservation:
“By reconstructing the original watchpage, we aren’t just showing a video; we are inviting the public to step back in time to the beginning of a global, cultural phenomenon. It is a proud moment to see this piece of digital history housed in the V&A.”
The Acquisition: “Me at the Zoo”
The centerpiece of the exhibit is the 19-second video Me at the Zoo, posted by YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim in April 2005. Filmed on a basic digital camera, the video—which shows Karim standing in front of elephants at the San Diego Zoo—marked a definitive turning point in how media is created and consumed.
Video Stats at a Glance:
- Views: ~380 million
- Likes: >18 million
- Historical Significance: One of the earliest examples of viral, user-generated content.
Exploring the Creator Economy
Corinna Gardner, senior curator of design and digital at the V&A, emphasized that the acquisition is part of the museum’s broader mission to document how the internet has shaped modern society.
“The acquisition opens new storytelling opportunities for us to showcase and explore the ways in which the internet has shaped our world, from the birth of mainstream video sharing platforms through to today’s hyper-visual world,” Gardner said.
Part of the V&A Digital Collection
The YouTube project joins an expanding portfolio of significant digital design acquisitions at the V&A, which includes:
- Flappy Bird (The viral mobile game)
- WeChat (The Chinese multi-purpose app)
- EUKI (The sexual health app)
- The Mosquito Emoji (Original design files)
The technical process behind the YouTube reconstruction will be explored in a secondary mini-display at the V&A East Storehouse, offering a deeper look at the challenges of preserving “live” digital environments that are constantly evolving.
Source: Africa Publicity
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