Dialing for Videos: A Random Sample of YouTube
YouTube is one of the largest, most important communication platforms in the world, but while there is a great deal of research about the site, many of its fundamental characteristics remain unknown. To better understand YouTube as a whole, we created a random sample of videos using a new method. T...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
HOPE
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journalqd.org/article/view/4066 |
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| _version_ | 1849404267977244672 |
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| author | Ryan McGrady Kevin Zheng Rebecca Curran Jason Baumgartner Ethan Zuckerman |
| author_facet | Ryan McGrady Kevin Zheng Rebecca Curran Jason Baumgartner Ethan Zuckerman |
| author_sort | Ryan McGrady |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
YouTube is one of the largest, most important communication platforms in the world, but while there is a great deal of research about the site, many of its fundamental characteristics remain unknown. To better understand YouTube as a whole, we created a random sample of videos using a new method. Through a description of the sample’s metadata, we provide answers to many essential questions about, for example, the distribution of views, comments, likes, subscribers, and categories. Our method also allows us to estimate the total number of publicly visible videos on YouTube and its growth over time. To learn more about video content, we hand-coded a subsample to answer questions like how many are primarily music, video games, or still images. Finally, we processed the videos’ audio using language detection software to determine the distribution of spoken languages. In providing basic information about YouTube as a whole, we not only learn more about an influential platform, but also provide baseline context against which samples in more focused studies can be compared.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ce01296d8b6c42f582f9a831db1fbf20 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-8813 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | HOPE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media |
| spelling | doaj-art-ce01296d8b6c42f582f9a831db1fbf202025-08-20T03:37:02ZengHOPEJournal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media2673-88132023-12-01310.51685/jqd.2023.022Dialing for Videos: A Random Sample of YouTubeRyan McGrady0Kevin Zheng1Rebecca Curran2Jason Baumgartner3Ethan Zuckerman4University of Massachusetts AmherstUniversity of Massachusetts AmherstUniversity of Massachusetts AmherstPushshift.ioUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst YouTube is one of the largest, most important communication platforms in the world, but while there is a great deal of research about the site, many of its fundamental characteristics remain unknown. To better understand YouTube as a whole, we created a random sample of videos using a new method. Through a description of the sample’s metadata, we provide answers to many essential questions about, for example, the distribution of views, comments, likes, subscribers, and categories. Our method also allows us to estimate the total number of publicly visible videos on YouTube and its growth over time. To learn more about video content, we hand-coded a subsample to answer questions like how many are primarily music, video games, or still images. Finally, we processed the videos’ audio using language detection software to determine the distribution of spoken languages. In providing basic information about YouTube as a whole, we not only learn more about an influential platform, but also provide baseline context against which samples in more focused studies can be compared. https://journalqd.org/article/view/4066YouTuberandom samplingmethodssocial mediadigital infrastructure |
| spellingShingle | Ryan McGrady Kevin Zheng Rebecca Curran Jason Baumgartner Ethan Zuckerman Dialing for Videos: A Random Sample of YouTube Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media YouTube random sampling methods social media digital infrastructure |
| title | Dialing for Videos: A Random Sample of YouTube |
| title_full | Dialing for Videos: A Random Sample of YouTube |
| title_fullStr | Dialing for Videos: A Random Sample of YouTube |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dialing for Videos: A Random Sample of YouTube |
| title_short | Dialing for Videos: A Random Sample of YouTube |
| title_sort | dialing for videos a random sample of youtube |
| topic | YouTube random sampling methods social media digital infrastructure |
| url | https://journalqd.org/article/view/4066 |
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