Servant of Chaos tipped me about a VERY good, but long, video that talks about how Youtube was created and how it “exists” as a community. His post is called: YouTube and the Context of “Being Social”.

I’ve included the video below. I HIGHLY suggest you take an hour to watch it. I just did and it was fascinating to see how Youtube has grown and how people interact with it, and each other. There was a lot of other great thoughts and stats and ideas that came out of the presentation as well. Watch this.

As an anthropologist, Michael Wesch is providing a fascinating analysis of the shifts in society and culture that are already underway. In this video he shows how user generated content + user generated filtering + user generated distribution is reinventing the way in which we create, find and share branded and unbranded material via the web. This potent mix is ignited with a final piece, which Michael calls “user generated commentary” — ie blogs — however, I feel this is better represented as user generated CONTEXT. When blog authors share content with their readers, they create a context into which the content becomes more accessible and digestible for their particular audience. It is this final piece which is an essential part of any digital strategy.