http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i36/36a04201.htm
The Chronicle for Higher Education
May 11, 2007
An Anthropologist Explores the Culture of Video Blogging
By JEFFREY R. YOUNG
Michael L. Wesch, an assistant professor of cultural anthropology at
Kansas State University, was writing a paper about social networking
and other interactive tools, which are collectively referred to as Web
2.0, when he decided to make use of the technology to spread his
message. So he put together a short video with examples of Web 2.0
features, with a catchy soundtrack and rapid-fire editing, and uploaded
it to YouTube, the popular video-sharing site.
Within just a few weeks, the video had been viewed more than two million
times and had sparked commentary from around the world. In a way, the
short clip proved its own argument — that Web 2.0 is linking people
in new ways and changing the way ideas are exchanged.
This semester Mr. Wesch is leading a class of nine undergraduates deeper
into the world of YouTube to conduct an ethnography of the online
community. Their focus is on video bloggers, or vloggers — people who
regularly record video diaries of their thoughts and feelings and share
them with the world.
All of the students are now making regular vlogs of their own. Posting
the videos on YouTube for the world to see is optional, however, and
three of the nine students have opted not to share.
Some of those who do post their videos use them to pose questions to
other YouTube users. In his first posting, one of the students, Robert
Hinderliter, asked whether college students today are more narcissistic
than ever, as a recent study found, and, if so, whether YouTube is a
contributing factor.
One YouTube user posted a seven-minute video response: "I think I am
important," said the vlogger, who goes by the nickname bbenefiel. "I'm
important because we're all connected, and I think it's important that
everyone has this importance that they're special or, you know,
important to somebody." About half a dozen others posted text replies.
'It's OK to Be Personal'
At least one of the Kansas State students has gone native, admitting to
being "addicted to 'Tubing." She is Rebecca Roth, or thepoasm, as she
calls herself on YouTube, and she makes frequent video diaries.
"It's surprisingly not hard to put details about yourself out to
complete strangers," she said during an interview with a Chronicle
reporter conducted via Webcam. "I'm not talking about details like your
credit-card numbers. But, you know, details like 'Oh, I feel this way
about my mother.'"
"But it gets complicated when people you know and are involved in your
life — or are your professor — are watching your videos," she said.
"I had the big discussion of, How personal do I get now that I know
that academic scholars are watching my videos? And I decided it's OK to
be personal because I think it's important to be humble and let them
know where you're coming from so that they understand where your
research is going."
Talking to a Webcam takes some getting used to, and Ms. Roth and other
students can be seen warming up to vlogging over time, says Mr. Wesch.
They also learn some basic vlogger communication tricks — like
holding your hands close to your face, where they will be in the
camera's range, and gesturing frequently, to maintain viewer interest.
The students have also learned that it is important not to be too
rehearsed in vlog performances. "If you could name a core value on
YouTube, it's authenticity," says Mr. Wesch. "The strongest critique is
to say that you're hiding behind something or you're not being real."
The professor says he plans to continue to make videos to supplement his
scholarly articles, noting that he has four or five more in his head.
"These tools are now as easy as learning to write, basically," he says,
"if you get a good video-editing program."
http://chronicle.com
Section: Information Technology
Volume 53, Issue 36, Page A42 |
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