In its early days, YouTube was not the platform characterized by the elaborate productions seen today, such as those from prominent creators like MrBeast. The initial offerings lacked sophisticated lighting, sound design, or complex editing techniques.
The first video ever uploaded, titled “Me at the Zoo,” appeared on April 23, 2005. A brief 19 seconds in length, it features Jawed Karim, one of YouTube’s co-founders, in front of two elephants at the San Diego Zoo.
“Alright, so here we are, in front of the elephants,” Karim states, glancing at the animals. The video captures the moment as one elephant tucks hay into its trunk and eats. Karim adds, “The cool thing about these guys is that they have really, really, really long um… trunks, and that’s cool,” before turning back to the elephants. He concludes, “And that’s pretty much all there is to say.” (Karim also uploaded another video, titled “Rolling down a hill” on the same day, though it has since been removed.)
The very same day, another user, “mw,” contributed the next video “My Snowboarding Skillz.” This marked the inaugural “fail” video on YouTube, a genre that grew in prevalence over the years. In this grainy, 10-second clip, viewers hear a faint “whooshing” sound as a snowboarder ascends a ramp in a snowy environment, only to tumble moments later. The clip concludes with the snowboarder getting back up, leaving the outcome ambiguous.
Just one day later, on April 24, 2005, a user known as “gp” uploaded an additional video titled “tribute.” At a mere five seconds, it stands out as the shortest among the three featured. The clip shows an individual in a brown jacket standing in a bland hallway resembling a dormitory. They jump and balance against the walls before releasing a primal scream. The camera holder responds with, “Very nice,” as the jumper lands with a thud.
These three videos symbolize YouTube’s foundational principle of accessibility, allowing anyone to create content by capturing fleeting, everyday moments. While the platform has evolved to host extensive tutorials, documentaries, and vlogs, a return to simpler content appears to be emerging.
The launch of Vine in 2012 presented a counter-narrative to YouTube’s growing library of longer videos, introducing six-second looping clips that quickly garnered a following for their humor and brevity. Despite its eventual shutdown in 2017, this paved the way for TikTok — which emerged from a merger with the lip-syncing app Musical.ly — to dominate short-form video content.
As TikTok soared in popularity, social media platforms scrambled to introduce their own short-form video features. Instagram launched Reels in 2020, while YouTube rolled out Shorts in the U.S. in 2021, despite being the original platform for short videos.
The new Shorts format marks a significant shift from the original ethos of YouTube two decades ago. The majority of current clips, shaped by algorithms, are often well-produced and meticulously planned, making them less accessible to the casual creator. However, many of these videos still convey a sense of spontaneity reminiscent of the platform’s earliest uploads, connecting viewers back to the original spirit of brief storytelling.
