Victoria and Albert Museum Acquires First Video Ever Uploaded to YouTube

The Victoria and Albert Museum has taken a significant step in documenting internet history by acquiring the first video ever uploaded to YouTube.

Displayed in the museum's Design 1900–Now gallery, the acquisition features a reconstructed early YouTube webpage alongside the inaugural upload titled 'Me at the zoo,' created by co-founder Jawed Karim.

Originally uploaded on April 23, 2005, the brief 19-second clip showcases Karim, who was 25 at the time, standing in front of elephants at the San Diego Zoo. In the video, he comments, 'The cool thing about these guys is that they have really really really long trunks.' Since its release, the video has garnered over 382 million views and more than 18 million likes.

A representative from the museum noted that the V&A;’s digital conservation team invested 18 months to faithfully recreate the design and user experience of YouTube as it appeared on December 8, 2006 — the earliest version of the site that is fully documented. This project was conducted in collaboration with YouTube’s user experience team and a London-based interaction design studio known as oio.

The reconstructed viewing page is currently on display at V&A; South Kensington, while a supplementary presentation at V&A; East Storehouse in Stratford delves into the technical aspects of reconstructing the early interface.

Neal Mohan, YouTube’s chief executive, remarked that the reconstruction offers visitors a chance to revisit the platform's origins and consider its cultural significance. Corinna Gardner, senior curator of design and digital at the V&A;, characterized the exhibition as an important milestone in the evolution of Web 2.0 and digital design.

Now, more than twenty years after its inception, YouTube continues to wield considerable influence in online culture, with museums and galleries frequently utilizing the platform to engage with global audiences and distribute original content.