Videocracy: How YouTube Is Changing the World with Double Rainbows, Singing Foxes, and Other Curious Trends

by Kevin Allocca

From YouTube's Head of Culture and Trends, a rousing and illuminating behind-the-scenes exploration of internet video's massive impact on our world.

Whether your favorite YouTube video is a cat on a Roomba, “Gangnam Style,” the “Bed Intruder” song, an ASAPscience explainer, Rebecca Black's “Friday,” or the “Evolution of Dance,” Kevin Allocca's Videocracy reveals how these beloved videos and famous trends--and many more--came to be and why they mean more than you might think.

YouTube is the biggest pool of cultural data since the beginning of recorded communication, with four hundred hours of video uploaded every minute. (It would take you more than sixty-five years just to watch to watch the vlogs, music videos, tutorials, and other content posted in a single day!) This activity reflects who we are, in all our glory and ignominy. As Allocca says, if aliens wanted to understand our planet, he'd give them Google. If they wanted to understand us, he'd give them YouTube.

In Videocracy, Allocca lays bare what YouTube videos say about our society and how our actions online--watching, sharing, commenting on, and remixing the people and clips that captivate us--are changing the face of entertainment, advertising, politics, and more. Via YouTube, we are fueling social movements, enforcing human rights, and redefining art--a lot more than you'd expect from a bunch of viral clips.

Genres: Nonfiction, Technology, Cultural, Psychology, Entrepreneurship, Audiobook, Business

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 23, 2018

Reviews

[Zak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me forever to finish but only because it contains references to so many videos that have made a huge viral splash (mostly unexpectedly) in YouTube's history. Many times, I would stop reading in order to check out an old video discussed in the book, only to find myself still surfing YouTube much, much later. Give this book a shot if you are interested in what makes videos go viral, past YouTube hits and popular trends, etc. Since the author works at YouTube, don't expect any unbiased in-depth debate on its merits and hazards though.

[Woflmao · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was given to me as a birthday present, and that is the reason I read it. Thus it pains me all the more to write this review. But write it I must!
Kevin Allocca is the Head of Culture and Trends at Youtube (YT), so it's no big surprise that this book comes along as a cheerful propaganda piece for the video website. As such, it is preaching to the choir, and I believe most people who will thoroughly enjoy this book will be YT enthusiasts already.

The book consists mostly of written descriptions of YT videos, the most famous ones of course, supplemented with a few short background stories on their creators. Describing a video is of course not very entertaining, and, believe it or not, the background stories are neither. And why would they, given that Allocca stresses over and over again how ordinary people can create the content that becomes the next hit?

It appears to me that Allocca vastly overestimates the cultural impact of YT ("Changing the World"), which is perhaps forgivable considering that his everyday life is so absorbed with YT. This issue has been well-discussed in other reviews here.

In the later chapters, the book becomes more analytical, though unfortunately it stays on the surface. There are a few graphs indicating the view count over time of certain videos, with explanations as to why they look the way they look.
In addition, some common sense psychology to explain the viewer's behaviour and their reasons for liking or disliking certain content.

Although Allocca declares to care about deeper social implications of YT, he steers clear of positioning himself in anything controversial, or suggesting any solutions or even in-depth analyses to the problems caused by the free and massive spreading of (dis)information through YT (just read the afterword to see what I mean).

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't really understand modern culture (the world, not just America) if you don't understand YouTube. A recent 2019 study found that 37% of all mobile web traffic was YouTube. What people are doing on that platform has very interesting insights for understanding who we are. And it's not all cat videos (though, they show up).

A sample of the book insights that I think are noteworthy: It turns out that we are way more interested in educational videos than pet and cute baby videos (10x more, depending on how you define "educational video")--we are becoming a learning culture, an increasingly self-directed learning culture. The Minecraft channels far exceed the traditional sports (basketball, baseball, etc.)--if you want to understand our future, think about a generation raised on a game with no formal ending, no linear path, and where everything can be changed however you want. Microfame is becoming the norm (each niche has its own stars, huge to their fans and unknown outside their niche)--consider a world with thousands of disconnected, deep communities, with lore and leaders that are unknown to everyone else.

The book content is very time sensitive (10 years from now it won't be as relevant) but it's very insightful for understanding today.

[Sougeitu · Rating 5 out of 5]

結論：五星好評推薦！

我認為這本書的繁中版標題翻譯是一個比較容易讓人誤解的失誤，《打造爆紅影音》這個標題聽起來就像是在教別人如何去當一個Youtuber。但實際上這本書可以說是一冊有許多社會X網路現象探討的油管發展史，這其中討論的內容從網站的建立與走紅，到典型的單個網紅事例，甚至作者個人在油管的工作經歷。
本書詳細討論了各式影片高速傳播，網紅之所以走紅的原因，其中附帶大量的可信數據與案例（這其中很大一部分可能引起共鳴，至少我完全能回憶起來其中某個時段），光是當成數十年前的網路現象剖析來閱讀也很有趣。同時我們得以從專業的鏡片後一窺這些事件對於真實社會與網絡社會的影響。

我認為在這一切的討論中，作者從自身角度出發談論的內容尤其有人文含義。作者在寫這本書時比起站在宏觀角度的工作者，很多時候心態更像是關注者與參與者。他能敏銳地捕捉許多創作者透過影片傳達出來的情感與真實性，並且肯定這種真實是有意義的。就好像他在本書最後寫下的感謝一樣：
“最後，我要謝謝數百萬以個人表現塑造了YouTube的人：他們敞開自己，無畏於傷害；他們在真實難得之際表現真實的一面；有時候，他們甚至冒著生命危險或犧牲個人幸福，在驚嚇、打擊或危險之時，分享關於自己的事物。這是一件重要的事。這一件事，改變了每一件事。”

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this quick pop-culture read about the rise and history of streaming video. It was fun to re-live (and re-watch) the first viral videos. The history of these types of technological advances are particularly interesting to my generation (X) because we started life without it, then watched its creation and meteoric rise. I didn't have a computer until I was 9, and we only got one then because my mom was a teacher and her best friend taught computer lab. I learned to type with a Mavis Beacon typing system that came on a floppy disk. I played Oregon Trail and Lemonade Stand and Lemmings. I used the free AOL internet disks. I remember the first time I downloaded something from a website to my computer (it was a single song and it took about 4 hours). It fascinates me that there is a whole new generation that has never lived without the technologies we currently use. I'm excited and hopeful to see what they will do with it.

The only criticism I have is that, since the book was written by a person who currently works for YouTube, parts of the book felt like an advertisement. Of course, the point of the book wasn't to objectively examine YouTube, its policies, or the negative impact it has had on us. It was to praise YouTube for its innovation and positive cultural impact. If you go in to the book with that understanding, then you will have an enjoyable experience.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Steena Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

((This review is of an ARC copy I got from the publisher in a Goodreads giveaway))

I don't read a lot of non-fiction. This book has made me reconsider this choice. Honestly, I would recommend pretty much anyone who grew up around the same time as YouTube reads this. It honestly felt like a catalogue of the greatest moments in pop-culture in my childhood. I must admit, I was one of the teenage girls spam-viewing Girlfriend in 2008. It was exciting to get to look back on how much the platform has grown, but even more exciting to realize the main point the author seems to make: that we are the source and the directors of that growth.

The book is laid out in an easy to follow format. It covers quite a few of the endless genres available on YouTube today (and in the past), from ASMR to the viral video. This is not merely the story of YouTube's biggest hits; it is an anthropological study of how a society and an internet platform co-created each other. While some of the info in this book may be familiar to those of us that have grown up on the internet, when the history of YouTube is laid out in front of you like this, it becomes nothing short of awe-inspiring and, honestly, a little moving. This is the story of a global culture, and the fact that anything could be truly global in today's world makes me a little bit hopeful for the future.

[Stephen Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the outset this book was solid, but didn't really stand out for me. But as the chapters progressed and Mr Allocca delved further into the ways by which the videos on YouTube, of all things, are a window into our own psychology, into who we are, the book got stronger for me. The sections about the need to think thru whether or not something should be posted to begin with was quite moving--sure, you are witnessing a bullying incident and want to embarrass the bully, but will you be victimizing the victim with repeated views?
The incredible power of interconnectivity between artists and their fans seems like an echo of Parag Khanna's Connectography which I read earlier this year.
As I mentioned in my update earlier, this was my first ARC for which my six year old son (addicted to Minecraft videos) showed a fair amount of interest. Talk about a niche culture (but a rather massive niche, no doubt).
BRB--going to watch Rebecca Black's Friday again. No, wait, I think I'll watch some ASMR videos. I'm feeling kinda stressed.
I'm grateful for the ARC I rec'd in exchange for this review.

[Ani · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pudo haber sido un vídeo de Youtube de 20 minutos. El autor trabaja para YT y se nota. Sólo lo terminé para sentir que ya lo puedo sacar de mi librero porque desgraciadamente lo compré en físico hace unos años.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

History of YouTube, it was an enjoyable read with different chapters focusing on various types of YouTube videos, how they came to be and where they are going.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick suggestion: Keep a device with you to browse YouTube while you read this book, and your journey through the most memorable (and some lesser known) trends on the Internet (mostly in form of video, and maybe memes) would be even more fun!

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever wondered what it would be like to work for youTube, look no further. This book offers a history, and behind the scenes look at how youTube functions, stores videos, and handles the next viral sensation. Many of the side notes are very funny, and reminded me of internet history I'd forgotten about completely. I'd forgotten about lonelygirl15, and was glad to see that employees of youTube felt bad that Rebecca Black was bullied, and that she's become something more in control of her content now. There is not room enough for all of youtube to be covered in this book, but what is sampled gives a good picture of how the internet may look in the future, as more individuals find an audience for their voice.

[Nicole Jarvis]

This book is such a delight. I loved learning the fun stories behind all of my favorite YouTube videos-- and having an excuse to rewatch!

Disclaimer- I work for the publisher, but this is my honest opinion.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Videocracy: How YouTube Is Changing the World with Double Rainbows, Singing Foxes, and Other Curious Trends (2018) by Kevin Allocca is all about the impact of the world’s most popular video streaming service.

Allocca is the Head of Culture and Trends at YouTube and had worked previously making videos that would go viral.

The book has a lot on what the biggest hits on YouTube are. The book has a lot about the rise of Gangnam Style, ‘Numa Numa’, and Nyan Cat. It also covers many other hit viral videos. Some of these were videos that were hits before Youtube took off and some once it had.

Allocca writes really well about the thousands of niche videos that get many views on Youtube. These include Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) videos and ‘pop it’ videos of pimples being popped. There are also videos of things being crushed and many other niche subjects.

Education also gets some time. Education videos on Youtube really are very popular. It is one of the most popular categories on YouTube. You really can learn a great deal. Also instructional videos on how to tie a tie, fix a bike and whatnot are also described.

Exercise videos also get a brief mention. I was glad to see this. On mornings when I don’t ride a bike, I get up and do a 15 minute exercise video from YouTube.

In Videocracy Allocca also writes about some of the stars who have made lots of money and becomes YouTube stars. The book was written in 2018 so some of the more modern big hits like Mr Beast are not included.

YouTube really is an amazing phenomena. It is so big that it is hard to capture well. Allocca does a pretty good job. The book is worth a read for anyone interested in modern culture.

[Zachary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating read for both all the things it does well and all the things it does poorly. Coming from someone with inside knowledge and access to the inner workings of YouTube and the bounty of statistics and data that the organization surely has and sorts through regularly, I was expecting something that would engage with questions of just what the bevy of video content in the world is doing to us as a society, or what our society is doing with it. And what I mostly got was...something that sort of hinted at how those were important questions to ask, without ever really delving into those questions or their far-reaching implications.

What's frustrating about the book is that it is fairly engaging and entertaining to read. Allocca has some interesting things to say (or at least describe) and does so in a mostly fun tone that only occasionally slips into eye-rollingly bad attempts to appear cool. But for all his interesting data and the funny videos he has to explore and illustrate his observations, Allocca never seems to delve into anything truly meaningful about any of the content he's engaging with. His point, over and over again, is that connection matters more than content, but truthfully I don't see his project as inspiring much connection given its overall lackluster content.

There was so much potential here, and I still think there is some virtue in the book's pages--primarily as a resource for other, more capable researchers and thinkers to cite for some hard evidence on YouTube's numbers and strategies.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author of this book has worked for Youtube almost since its inception, so he has a good grasp of its trends and cultural impact. The thing is, I didn’t really learn anything new. I’ve already read about how technology creates opportunities to organize uprisings, assuage loneliness, and democratize both education and stardom. Alloca makes very gentle assertions. One of them I did like, since I hadn’t given much thought to it before: 20th century culture was more homogeneous thanks to how tight-knit the media conglomerates were and how expensive it was to produce content. Today, anything goes. Also I guess I was reminded that video virality isn’t about view count but about how it spreads. But focusing on Youtube – as opposed to internet video more broadly – sort of alienated a weirdo like me who missed a lot of the pop culture phenomena. I mean, I was in college in the days of pre-Youtube oddball sensations like Salad Fingers or Gonads and Strife, which didn’t get mentioned. Also, you’d think that he would’ve had more than a two-sentence acknowledgement of BookTube considering his readership consists of, you know, book readers. The audio version of this was easy to listen to, and I found myself nodding along quite a bit, but I’m not sure how memorable it will be in the vast sea of tech nonfiction out there.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across Allocca's "Videocracy" while perusing the books at Amazon's new "Amazon Books" retail store on 34th Street in New York City. As someone for whom watching Youtube videos is a guilty pleasure, I knew I had to read this book. I watched my first Youtube video in 2006 and spent probably more than my share of time watching and rewatching videos I like. I knew that Youtube was changing the world....I just wanted someone else's opinion on it.

Allocca provides a great perspective on Youtube, the platform, and the many ways it has embedded itself into world culture. Allocca writes with authority, as he worked for Youtube for years and had a front-row seat to all the trending topics. This book fulfills the readers interest in taking a trip down memory lane ("Charlie bit my finger", anyone?), but it does much more than that. The book also adeptly explains how and when videos go viral, how watching videos can be addicting, and talks about the many people who are now internet-famous as a result of their videos. If there is any reason to utter the phrase "It's a brave, new world", then Youtube is it.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has accidentally spent hours of time watching inane videos online, and wondered where the afternoon went.

[Tifnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was originally excited to read this book because I thought it would be similarly written like Virtual Reality; informative, board view point and engaging. Instead, the author works for YouTube so the view point was slanted towards all the good rather than the good and the bad.

Videocracy is about YouTube and how it was helped shape the future in how we solicit and share information. How we went from uninformed to over informed from multiple windows rather than just newspaper, TV and online news. How that said information is unedited, real and connects viewers to real life stories. Mostly it's about our freedom to speak, the 1st Amendment.

For example; when executives tell you that they cannot market you for whatever reason, YouTube allows you to market yourself and let the fans decide if you are marketable. No longer do people need to listen and abide by the top executives. In fact, it takes the control away from them and back onto the YouTube creator.

However, I did only give it 3 stars because there is more to YouTube then just protecting our freedom of speech and I wish the author could have spent time on that. Though he probably wouldn't have a job for much longer if he did.

[Meredith Shoemaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m actually surprised at how much I loved this book. When I got an email asking if I’d like an ARC, I figured what the hell. But this may be one of my favorite reads this year. The exploration of why certain things fo viral, how social media affects the way we think and act as a culture, the minds behind some of the most well known YouTubers and videos is fascinating to read about! And the language makes it feel like you’re just having a conversation about it. My favorite part is Chapter 9: Scratching the itch, because it talks about something very important to me, and that is the ASMR community on YouTube. I even had an Instagram just for making my own ASMR clips at one point. When he was talking about Maria aka GentleWhispering, I about jumped out of my seat. She’s the face of the ASMR community, and was the first of the ASMRtists to hit 1M subscribers! I could gush about that for days, but I highly recommend this book if you are someone who watches or creates YouTube content. It comes out in January 2018 so keep an eye out! Or grab a preorder! Just get this book! Thank you so much to @bloomsburypublishing for giving me this ARC!

[Walter Bowne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a quick, breezy read that tended to repeat itself. I enjoyed looking back on the viral videos I missed in the last ten years or so. I use YouTube and post teacher lectures for students, so I am a fan. I also love watching classic rock videos, say of Led Zeppelin from 1968. But - since the writer works for YouTube, he will stay 99% on the YouTube fan page. He never ventures into the dark side (because his mom is reading the book - so says a footnote). He also does not mention the ways in which YouTube generates money or pays its creators (it recently changed - making it a whole lot harder to make money). There must be a book about YouTUbe from someone who does not shill or depend on YouTube for his "corn pone" - to paraphrase Mark Twain. Still, worth a read, and he brings up valid points. A flying pop-tart toaster cat is no way near Mozart and Shakespeare as far as creating "art." And I do fear that art is somehow a race to the bottom, and with so many eyeballs glued to the screen (to create communities, I guess, what are we missing in the real world with real people?)

[YHC · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book mostly focus on the entertainment part, like pop stars, pranks....etc
There is small part to talk about educational web channel, or the fundamental change about how we learn things. For us, youtube did provide an access to instant information, since now there is live function, we can be connected easily.
Still i have to say thanks to youtube, i learn astronomy and many other knowledge, watched so many documentaries.


病毒是怎样炼成的:
1.参与感
由于网络视频对于观众来说是一种主动而非被动的视听体验，因此，越是能够激发观众互动性和参与感的内容越有可能取得成功。
“媒体和社交媒体之间是有区别的。”起司对我说，“差别之大就像鸡蛋（egg）和茄子（eggplant）。虽然后者只多了几个字母，但完全是截然不同的东西。前者关乎内容，后者则关乎交流。如果你想搞清楚病毒式传播，就必须了解交流如何展开，而不是交流的具体内容。”
2.惊奇感
在视频时代，我们只要动动手指，数以百万计的视频便触手可及。因此，越是令人称奇、具有独特性的视频，越是有着无与伦比的价值。人类生来就倾向于被令人吃惊的事物吸引。大脑核磁共振成像扫描的研究结果表明，发现不寻常的事物会激活大脑的“新奇中心”，即位于中脑被盖人类生来就倾向于被令人吃惊的事物吸引。大脑核磁共振成像扫描的研究结果表明，发现不寻常的事物会激活大脑的“新奇中心”，即位于中脑被盖
3.催化剂
如果你研究过病毒视频的流行趋势便会发现，在某种程度上，观众、播放平台或其他机制的存在，迅速加快了视频的传播，把它推广到更大、更广泛的观众群体。

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not completely sold on YouTube. Sure there's some fun stuff there, but there's lots of bad stuff, too. The internet hasn't quite panned out to be what everyone thought it would be way back in the day. Sometimes the videos are even worse than , say, Facebook, for nastiness. Not sure how any of this inclusion and openess and fares well for anyone. It's an interesting read for a small segment of the world who needs it's every moment watched because, well, it's so interesting to itself. Blah. Well written and will find it's audience.
I received a Kindle ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Dave Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In contrast to a more scholarly book about the rise and impact of YouTube on modern culture, this is more of a guided tour of YouTube given by the company's Head of Culture and Trends. He hits the historical highlights, tells the stories behind them and puts them into cultural context. Naturally, this book avoids discussion of the lowlights, such as terrorists' use of the platform.

As a middle-aged guy who's been unable to get what all the fuss was about, this book was a good introduction to me. Allocca does a good job explaining the attraction of YouTube and its various offerings to its audience, complete with inside stories and humorous footnotes.

[Stephen Newell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does it cover all aspects of how YouTube interacts with our culture? Not really, but then you have to think, could anyone actually do that in one book anyways. Kevin Allocca does a decent at fairly portraying the platform and the concept of Virality as a whole (biased towards a positive view in most situations because, well, he works for the company after all). Some chapters did feel unnecessary or long-winded, but chap. 8 and 12 are some of the best stuff I have ever read about YouTube. If you know nothing about YouTube or think it’s all just cat videos and people falling over, then “Videocracy” may be the book for you!

3.5/5 stars

[Carlos · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book ends up reading like a history of YouTube. Allocca tracks the beginnings of this now ubiquitous website and the divergence between what its creators thought they were building and what the internet community decided to do with it. While Allocca manages to remind the reader of viral videos of years past, and even give them their proper context and their current legacy, the book starts getting bogged down in talking about video after video. Although Allocca seeks to talk about the different aspects of YouTube, from its global reach, to its myriad of niche communities, the book’s 300 pages start to feel interminable.

[Olivia Ambrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It's so interesting. I'm a huge nerd about this kind of stuff, so this was right up my alley. A fascinating look at how things go viral, why things go viral, and the effect that YouTube is having on our world though music, news, education, and yes, videos of dogs riding skateboards. Well worth reading, whether you're a YouTube geek like me or not. YouTube affects our culture more than we realize and this digs into that.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge YouTube fan but I still wasn't positive going into it that I was going to like this book. So many non-fiction books I have picked up about popular culture are so poorly written that I usually don't make it through the first chapter. Fortunately Videocracy turned out to be really enjoyable! I was happily entertained and interested for the entire book and now appreciate YouTube even more than I already did.

[Ankit · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty much one-side book that talks about how Youtube impacted the concepts of music, art, celebrities, politics, reach and others. The books has some nice references to popular memes and stories behind the creators and audiences, but spends a sum total of 6 pages talking about the ill effects of the lack of curation and it's impact on influencing people with less-than-good ideas and propaganda.