Reading YouTube: The Critical Viewers Guide

by Anandam P. Kavoori

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.

195 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 2011

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting examination of emerging genres on YouTube. Though a bit dated, many of the observations and categories still hold true and Kavoori offers a way of beginning to systematically explore the vast depths of YouTube. I found the introductory chapter to be the most useful and informative, but Kavoori's examples and discussion at least open a path through a particularly knotted realm.
I did find some of the formatting issues to be distracting. There are too many parentheses that should really be footnotes, making it difficult to follow the thread of the argument at times. It also would have been helpful if there had been some sort of marker, even an extra space, between examples. The text flows straight from one to another in what is often a jarring or disconnecting fashion.

[Vika Gardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seems to be a textbook for undergraduate classes to teach them about "media". Its perspective on who uses YouTube is almost entirely based on an idea of YouTube being about "entertainment". Might be useful for first years but won't be satisfying for anyone looking for some intellectual meat.