The word ‘anthropology’ refers to the social science that studies the origins and social relationships of human beings. It would be hard to think of a more instructive tool for the analysis of modern human behaviours than YouTube. The video sharing website turned five years old in February and, while this one-hour clip was filmed in June 2008 at the US Library of Congress, it nevertheless offers a contemporary glimpse into the nature of viral video and what ‘turns us on’ as consumers… and humans.

Editor’s note: This is a looooong clip at 55 minutes. But worth it.

Five years of YouTube (what turns us on)