'Me at the Zoo' First* Youtube video hits 20 years old - YouTube Thread

Lumeinshin

YouTube is old, if you were around when it first released you are also now old.

How long have you been using the site? Did you use anything before then?
I remember tons of the old videos i'd watch on youtube as a kid, some of them more embarrassing than others...

A lot of the earlier fun stuff was just uploads of stuff taken from other sites or other reuploads. It took some time for videos to be uploaded to youtube first.

*its technically not the first video, there is another released about 2 weeks prior which is 'welcome to youtube', but this is the first 'proper' video

warmcharm

Lumeinshin

While there is a very early YouTube video titled "Welcome to YouTube" (uploaded in April 28th 2005), it wasn't the first. You're probably thinking about a hoax. Me at the zoo is indeed the first YouTube video ever uploaded

I know this because I like to research early YouTube, more specifically pre September 2005 which I estimate is when the site started to become more popular. The vast majority of these early YouTube videos were deleted due to hackers, and a good chunk is lost media. Thankfully over the years many of these videos were recovered:
As you can see a lot of these are reuploads.

As for me, I've been using YouTube since I was a toddler. I think my first video I (very) vaguely remember watching was a crappy ABC nursery rhyme made in windows movie maker in like 2008 or so. Anyways throughout my childhood I used to watch Sonic fan animations and this was my favorite
It's impressive for a fan project from 2005 but yeah it isn't that good these days. I still like it 😛

frijole del alta

Lumeinshin
ah yes how time flies. 20 years later and were all still using that website, pretty crazy how the 10th anniversary went by quick too. Ive been watching videos on youtube for as long as I can remember it being around and popularized. random videos, funny, spooky jumpscares, over the top wannabe drama, info vids. even though youtube has developed and still hosts vids, its never gonna be the same as it was those first 5 years. in my opinion "old" youtube died around 2009-2012

Somnolence

Somehow 20 years seems both too old and not old enough. I'm not sure why.
I think one of my first Youtube videos was Smosh's Pokemon parody. It doesn't seem to be up anymore, but there is the Mortal Kombat one that came out shortly afterwards and that's still up.

Other than that, I don't remember too many old youtube videos, but pre-Youtube videos that were popular on old Flash sites - Newgrounds included.

warmcharm
For me, it was Rise of the Mushroom Kingdom, and later on, Super Mario Bros Z.

kyga

I'm "end of ze world" old... I still remember the pre-youtube days. This and salad fingers, ugh lol.

Ah and this gem:

Somnolence It's weird how youtube actually sort of ruined the video scene. I remember those old crappy pre-youtube videos because they were like good memes that stuck in your head.
I honestly can't remember anything specifically on youtube because it's just a platform. There's so much stuff on there that it all just blurs together.

I speak for the cubes

It's mad thinking how the site has evolved and the complete turnaround it made when you remember that what most made it blow up were "pirated" Family Guy and South Park episodes being uploaded there compared to the copyright hellhole it is now. Who would have thought the "Vevo is ruining everything" crowd was right all along.
Pouring one out for the late wat.tv having entire anime seasons available (especially with non-english subs) and dailymotions hosting entire movies with the title typed in backwards 🫡
Still, I guess today is then a good day to be thankful for :
-youtube massively lowering the cost of legally listening to music
-a lot of early hobby-oriented videomakers doing more to teach english than local education systems for teens who want to know more about niche topics and have limited ressources and communities in their native language
-seriously opening access to education thanks to some unis or individual lecturers and researchers just uploading entire classes in full for free. No, really, Yale has whole multiple hours of their classes available right now for you to go listen to with no strings attached
-pingas toaster with lotsa spaghetti ? Mahboy I don't give credit come back when you're a little, mmmh, richer

damas

YouTube used to be full of authentic kino

Kaper

I remember watching YouTube Poops and SM64 Bloopers in the days of early YouTube, a much more innocent time before the site became swamped with video essays accompained by avatars crossing their arms.

Fantasy

This is the earliest video I remember watching and I mostly just listened to the song while grinding Maplestory. Over and over on repeat.

harukoto

Fantasy i rarely meet anyone that remembers maplestory. i've been bringing it up lately and no one understands hah.

Fantasy

harukoto I had mentioned it at work in the past week and my boss responded "I haven't heard Maplestory in over 10 years"
It turns 20 this year I think, time is moving at the speed of time.

Somnolence

kyga
In fairness, the convenience has eliminated a lot of the guesswork involved previously. There was basically no "discoverability" factor for a lot of old videos unless they were on Youtube or Newgrounds or featured on something like Ebaumsworld. You had to hear about something word-of-mouth, and then skate over to some website that may or may not be secure in order to watch it.

kyga

Somnolence You had to hear about something word-of-mouth, and then skate over to some website that may or may not be secure in order to watch it.

I know... it was amazing.

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