And, a Youtube chaser
A few weeks ago, my friend Kathryn mentioned that, if she could have access to only one website for the rest of time, it would definitely be IMDB. It’s an interesting question to ponder: if the Internet were burning down and you had to grab one site, what would it be? I haven’t been able to commit to anything, but a strong contender is Youtube. Besides allowing me to watch cute animals and my favorite music videos anytime I want, it also permits the dissemination of obscure film and video. This has the mixed potential of both raising awareness of rare materials, while also failing to preserve that material for the longterm. (This is an issue that comes up periodically on the archival listservs — see, for example, this exchange from the Association of Moving Image Archivists list in 2006.)
Anyway, this summer, I had the pleasure of working with writer Matthew Stadler at the University of Oregon in Portland. He hosted regular show and tell sessions for students and staff, and had everyone bring a “Youtube chaser” for between sessions. I’ve decided to carry this tradition on in this blog. Enjoy!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w536Alnon24[/youtube]
IMDB? Really? All IMDB helps me with these days is seeing how actors and tv shows and movies are interrelated. I much prefer Metacritic for actual content evaluation.
But it’s a good question. If I had to pick one site it would be Facebook. Why? Well…hopefully most of my friends would pick it and we’d still have each other. But it could also become the backbone for a new Internet.
And, yes, if a genie granted me three wishes, I’d wish for more. Great post!
Jonathan Strang
14 Sep 09 at 10:53 am
I really like the idea of a Youtube chaser. I also love that reality show trope mashup. I think that my personal YouTube chaser would probably involve this monkey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx4UEe98EkY
dan
14 Sep 09 at 3:56 pm
@Jonathan — You know, I wrote my undergraduate anthropology thesis about facebook, way back when it was exclusive to students at a mere handful of universities. I remember a moment of panic when I realized that the site could lose popularity and disappear before I finished my fieldwork. Anyway, it’s been a pleasure to see it change and thrive over the years.
@Dan — Actually, that fella is a chimpanzee, and thus not a monkey but an ape. Nonethelss, that is a perfect chaser.
KM
14 Sep 09 at 8:41 pm
Kelly I didn’t know you were working with Matthew Stadler all summer. I recognize his name from… the internet! http://publicationstudio.biz/
http://www.matthewstadler.org/
But I don’t know him, as you must.
JS
15 Sep 09 at 12:28 pm
Do you actually recognize his name? That’s fantastic!
KM
16 Sep 09 at 1:03 pm