Consider the YouTube phenomenon: easy access to millions of videos shared by people around the world. If you want to hear a specific song you can find it with a quick search, and usually there are many versions from which to choose. Unknown, unsigned artists can create a huge fanbase by posting performances. People can post parts of their lives or create a personality for the viewing pleasure of thousands of loyal subscribers. The search term "Laughing Baby" turns up 10,200 results. The all-time most watched video is entitled "Evolution of Dance" and has been viewed 65,031,195 times.

These "viral videos" have not only created a culture but garnered fame for their creators. Not only can it be used as a marketing tool [by companies like BlendTec, known for their "Will It Blend?" videos] but it is a place where you can stumble across untold numbers of strange, offbeat things.

I will leave you with an example [which has been viewed more than 350,000 times]:



I really have nothing profound to say about YouTube... I suppose it's profound enough in its own right. I will however post the link to my "favorites" page, for a somewhat filtered example to fit with this post.

http://www.youtube.com/profile_favorites?user=kYels1