Youtube and his Viral Videos (Keenan Cahill vs. Tay Zondey)

In the next post, let's move our attention to the viral videos published on the video social network called "Youtube". It is as simple as uploading your funny video or sometimes not even that to youtube and people like and share the video. Simple word of mouth can get videos millions of views and therefore make money. The combination of these two concepts – YouTube and the viral video – has created numerous cases of people who have become famous, for example Justin Bieber and Keenan Cahill.

According to the Burgess and Green’s recent content survey of YouTube, many viral videos are performance-based and music-related, rather than narrative or information-based. Jean Burgess says: "It is arguably the combination of oddness and earnest amateurism that made ‘Chocolate Rain’ such a massive YouTube hit", this song of Zonday which had success incredible it can be compared with Keenah Cahill. 

Ah, you do not know who Keenan Cahill is?

This guy in the picture is Keenan Cahill. Cahill has achieved International success at the young age of 17, initially with the just the help of his iMac that he received for his 13th birthday. He has achieved an audience of over 425 million people, and the many gains that entails.

At 2 years old he underwent a bone marrow transplant to slow the progression of his disease. The first operation was followed by two more operations – the last one which nearly cost him his life.

Currently, your health depends on an expensive schedule: go to school in the mornings and in the afternoon record yourself singing and dancing. The first time he did this he had an excellent response in the network.

The first success of this young man was thanks to this song by Katy Perry, and is the one that has gotten the most views:

Now Keenan has used this fame to launch his own record together with sister-duo Electrovamp UK. This is his new song called "Hands Up":

Like Keenan or Zondey, we can all upload our videos to this powerful social platform called YouTube. This process of sharing and creating music videos is called Vidding, which is what led Keenan to fame and helped him get contracts with famous producers such as Paramount Pictures for the promotion of any of his movies.

You never know what is a good idea that can throw you to fame – if you have an idea just do it!

Sources:

- Sivera Bello, Silvia (2008) Marketing Viral. Editorial UOC

- Jean Burgess, "All your chocalate rain are belong to us?" Viral Video, Youtube and the Dynamics of Participatory culture", In: Geert Lovink & Sabine Niederer (eds.) Video Vortex Reader. Responses to YouTube. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures 2008, pp. 101-109.

- http://www.azteca.com/notas/vengalaalegria/47712/keenan-cahill:-internet-le-ha-salvado-la-vida

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpxVIwCbBK0

23th April´s Lecture