Kansas and regional news
Professor’s video creates sensation on YouTube
K-State cultural anthropologist explores history of Internet
February 13, 2007
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He's right up there with Nora, the piano-playing cat.
A Kansas State University professor's video on the history of the Internet - originally begun as an academic paper - has caused a sensation online. As of Monday, it had been viewed more than 900,000 times and was the fourth highest-rated video of the past month on YouTube, behind only a pair of episodes of the cartoon "Yu-Gi-Oh" and a "Meet Barack Obama" video.
"It's on almost 5,000 blogs now," said the video's creator, K-State assistant professor of cultural anthropology Michael Wesch. "It was a surprise."
The 4 1/2-minute video, titled "Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us," uses images Wesch captured on his computer screen to demonstrate how the Internet has evolved to allow users to generate and share their own content. The video, complete with a techno-beat background, also suggests that we're feeding computers billions of bits of revealing information about ourselves.
"When we post and tag pictures, we are teaching the machine," a typed message in the video reads. "Each time we forge a link, we teach it an idea."
Wesch said the idea for the video came as he was writing a paper about Web 2.0, a term used to describe the second generation of the Internet, which is full of user-generated content and social-networking sites such as MySpace.
"The irony I kept confronting was that I was using the old medium to explain a new one," he said.
The actual video only took about three days to create. When he posted it on Jan. 31, he sent an e-mail to about 10 people, he said. From there, it snowballed. Eventually, it was featured on popular blogs including BoingBoing.net and TechCrunch.com.
As of Monday, it was featured as one of the "Popular Videos" on the blog-tracking site Technorati.com, right above a video of "Nora, the Piano-Playing Cat."
Kansas University associate professor Nancy Baym, who studies online communities, says she first watched Wesch's video early last week.
"By that point I'd been hearing buzz about it everywhere I turned for several days before that," she said. "I think it's beautifully done."
Still, Baym said she doesn't believe that Web 2.0 has changed the fundamental nature of online communication.
"The whole premise of Web 2.0 is that it's people getting connected to each other, but that's what the Internet has always been," she said.
Baym said professors have an obligation to weigh in on subjects such as the Internet and how it's changing society. But high-profile, new media efforts such as Wesch's don't always play a role in how universities evaluate and promote faculty.
For her part, Baym writes a blog called onlinefandom.com, but there's nowhere to mention that on her merit-evaluation form.
"Universities all over the place are grappling with, 'What do we do with a blog?' It's not peer-reviewed," she said. "There's no category for it."
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13 February 2007
at 8:25 a.m.
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Centrist (Anonymous) says…
This is NEWS??
13 February 2007
at 10:25 a.m.
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gabbo (Anonymous) says…
It is news, as a local(regional) boy(professor) makes good piece. The video is also very well done.
13 February 2007
at 10:45 a.m.
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Agnostick (Anonymous) says…
Wow…
P.S. Yes, Centrist… this is news…
13 February 2007
at 11:38 a.m.
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Gareth (Anonymous) says…
“This is NEWS??”
Yeah, come on….they bumped more coverage of Anna-Nicole Smith for THIS?
There hasn't been true journalism in this country since Reagan removed the “for the public good” stipulations on broadcasting in 1987.
13 February 2007
at 11:47 a.m.
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yellowhouse (Anonymous) says…
So true! Now when the government practices Prosecutorial misconducts, it can be posted! Victims of malice and police misconduct now have a voice that can be heard!
http://www.forums.larryville.com/view…
13 February 2007
at 12:08 p.m.
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yellowhouse (Anonymous) says…
Knowlege is power! Communication is the key to success at any level.
The internet has given us the power to communicate and the key to unlock knowledge!
The first Amendment of the Constitution grants every American freedom of speech! The internet can open the door for you get your message out there!
http://www.myspace.com/yellowhousestore
13 February 2007
at 12:26 p.m.
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justsomewench (Anonymous) says…
poem, anyone?
13 February 2007
at 1:16 p.m.
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yellowhouse (Anonymous) says…
Now Lord, I would be thine alone,
Please let me live for thee,
In thee I hope that thou might own
A worthless worm like me!
Green Pastures by Rev. James Smith 1834
13 February 2007
at 1:27 p.m.
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justsomewench (Anonymous) says…
baited that easily and yet we're to believe it was all a set up, i'm sure. amazin'.
blather on, yh, free speech and all.
13 February 2007
at 2:26 p.m.
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yellowhouse (Anonymous) says…
you bet! every chance i get!
In every changing scene of life
What'er that scene may be
Give me a meek and humble mind
A mind at peace with thee.