Me at the zoo

For the 2012 documentary, see Me at the Zoo (2012 film)."Me at the zoo" is the first ever video uploaded to YouTube, on April 23, 2005, 8:31:52 p.m. PDT, or April 24, 2005, at 03:31:52 UTC. The 19-second video features YouTube's co-founder Jawed Karim, who was 25 years old at the time, in front of two elephants at the San Diego Zoo in California, noting their long trunks. Using Karim's camera, it was recorded by his high school friend, Yakov Lapitsky, a University of Delaware Ph.D. student at the time, who was in San Diego to deliver his research to the American Chemical Society.
== Reception ==
The Los Angeles Times explained in 2009 that "as the first video uploaded to YouTube, it played a pivotal role in fundamentally altering how people consumed media and helped usher in a golden era of the 60-second video". Digital Trends called it a "nondescript affair" and "tongue-in-cheek" video that set "the tone for what was to come" on YouTube.
== Legacy ==
Greg Jarboe describes the video's representation of an "ordinary moment" to be "extraordinary" for its time, demonstrating YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim's vision of what YouTube would become. According to Jarboe, "Me at the zoo" showed that YouTube was not simply about trying to "capture special moments on video" but rather trying to empower YouTube users "to become the broadcasters of tomorrow". This paved the way for YouTube to become the world's most popular online video-sharing community. Aaron Duplantier said that the ordinary "everydayness" and "dry aesthetics" of "Me at the zoo" set the tone for the type of original amateur content that would become typical of YouTube, especially among YouTubers and vloggers. In addition to being the first video on YouTube, it has been described as the first YouTube vlog clip.
Business Insider ranked it the most important YouTube video of all time, stating: "It is representative of YouTube—it doesn't need to be this fancy production; it can be approachable. The first YouTube video is something anyone could create on their own." The New York Observer also ranked it the most important video in YouTube history, stating "the thing is practically a historical artifact". BuzzFeed News listed it among the 20 most important online videos of all time.
On multiple occasions, Karim has used the video's description feed to criticize YouTube's business actions. In November 2013, in response to Google requiring YouTube users to use Google+ accounts to comment on videos, he updated the description to say "I can't comment here anymore, since i don't want a Google+ account". In November 2021, the video's description was changed in response to YouTube's decision to remove video dislikes from public view, reading: "When every YouTuber agrees that removing dislikes is a stupid idea, it probably is. Try again, YouTube". A few days later, the description was changed again to a more detailed condemnation of YouTube's decision.
On December 17, 2023, the video thumbnail was changed to a MrBeast-style image of Karim with fiery eyes pointing at an AI-generated background image of elephants. It was reverted to the original thumbnail two weeks later. The design of the thumbnail mimicked clickbait.
== See also ==
* List of most-viewed YouTube videos