I was preparing for a social media presentation (http://DavidPapp.com) and put together a quick one minute video with the current top YouTube videos by most views. I wanted to go top 5 but it seems that Charlie slipped down to 6th position. Not too long ago Charlie used to be the top video but has since been surpassed by music videos which make up the bulk of the current top videos now. I uploaded this little series of clips to share.
The top 6 as of Sept20/11 were:
- Justin Bieber
625 Million - Lady Gaga
414 Million - Shakira
396 Million - Eminem
383 Million - Jennifer Lopez
383 Million - Charlie Bit My Finger
374 Million
It will be interesting to see over time how many views this video of mine gets as well. Sort of a little experiment in itself. 🙂
I’m looking back at this list in 2013 and its amazing how some of these videos are still some of the most popular. The list has mostly stayed the same with music videos being the most popular but I would be interested in seeing more original content on the most viewed list.
Yes, it is very interesting to look back at this in 2013 as it is almost exactly two years ago. It is a snapshot in time.
We can expect the popular music artists to dominate the list, thanks to massive PR and promotions. It’s always a pleasant surprise these days to see a “genuine” viral video that captures the attention and enthusiasm of people as was the case with “Charlie Bit My Finger.”
I’m quite fascinated with these viral videos and the Internet memes that often spring up along with them. And when such exposure catapults an everyday person into sudden fame and they can handle that unexpected notoriety and use it to their advantage, it’s all the more gratifying to see.
I’m not surprised with the contents of this list. I think the majority of heavy youtube users are under the age of 25. It’s kids and college age adults with a lot of time to burn. That means the top videos are pop stars. It is a shame but it isn’t going to change any time soon. At least eminem isn’t half bad!
Yes, Eminem would be my favorite on this list with Jennifer Lopez as a close second. Both are long-time artists and influential in pop culture. But yes, to the larger point, I do think demographics may also have much to do with it; a PR and marketing machine is nothing if it can’t influence its intended target.
Still, it’s exciting to see a video go viral unexpectedly such as we have seen most recently with Ylvis’ ‘The Fox.’ They just signed a record deal with Warner Music as a result.
The Fox song is crazy! The first time I saw it, it had 14 million views. Now it’s almost at 46 million and it was just uploaded on the 3rd of September! One advantage of this over Gangnam is it’s in English so many people understand it. I’m going to see how big it gets, but I’m guessing the Fox channel using the song in their ad might have also helped greatly.