Reading YouTube: The Critical Viewers Guide (Digital Formations)

How does one make sense of YouTube? There is no reliable sample of videos on YouTube; no easily identifiable way to determine its dominant themes; no way to evaluate quality or impact; no seminal literature. Through genre analysis and digital media criticism, this book presents an accessible, yet critical introduction to "reading" YouTube. The book identifies certain videos by genre—from The Phenom and The Short to The Morph and The Experiment—and provides a thumbnail textual analysis of the videos from celebrity culture to identity politics that make up each of these genres. Each one starts with a brief summary/background followed by a theoretically informed mapping of the key issues. Designed primarily for classroom use, the book develops a conceptual language for students to use as they engage with the complex, interactive texts of YouTube and digital culture more generally.