An anthropological introduction to YouTube

This is a video of a speech Dr. Michael Weschgave gave to the library of congress. As you will see, Dr. Weschgave is a delightful speaker an...

17 Dec 2009 2320 Views

This is a video of a speech Dr. Michael Weschgave gave to the library of congress. As you will see, Dr. Weschgave is a delightful speaker and a lot more down-to-earth than the name given to his area of specialty at Kansas State University: digital ethnography. I’m not embarrassed to admit I needed a dictionary to figure out that it means a branch of anthropology dealing with the scientific description of specific individual cultures. He is interested in how digital media is impacting this. Academic? Yes. But also very interesting and applicable to anyone working with (and striving to understand) social media and its impact on markets. You can also find Dr. Weschgave’s blog Digital Ethnography here.

Be warned: The video is almost an hour long. But I found it was worth it. It offers a new perspective on You Tube (and social media in general) with lots of insights and examples.I’d be interested in hearing if any other marketers find this info useful.

Like this post? You'll find more marketing insights in my new book: International Brand Strategy: A guide to achieving global brand growth, now available from booksellers globally. Order your copy here.

Sean Duffy| @brandranter
Speaker, consultant & founder of Duffy Agency, the flipped digital agency that provides accelerated growth to aspiring international brands.