Kevin Allocca is Head of Culture and Trends at YouTube, where he has spent more than seven years tracking and explaining trending phenomena. He is one of the world's leading experts on viral video. Allocca has given conference keynotes around the world on web video culture, including a TED Talk that has been viewed more than two million times. He's also obsessed over more videos than every teenager and serial workplace procrastinator you've ever met. He lives in New York City. @shockallocca
Refreshingly, the author offers more than just a history of YouTube; he takes on the role of anthropologist as he riffs on the current state of popular culture and content consumption. With traditional cultural gatekeepers increasingly strained to maintain relevance and more individuals empowered to create and distribute their own content, YouTube will only grow as a major cultural force . . . [An] insightful look into the inner workings of YouTube and its wide-ranging influence. * Kirkus Reviews * A fascinating and illuminating book. Essential reading for everyone who wants to understand the surprising power and reach of internet video. -- Jonah Berger, New York Times bestselling author of CONTAGIOUS and INVISIBLE INFLUENCE If video is the future of communication and entertainment, this book is a road map to the future. Inside are clues to creating better ads, music, comedy, education, and yes, cat videos. -- Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of GIVE AND TAKE and ORIGINALS and co-author of OPTION B with Sheryl Sandberg Offering an insightful and nostalgic backstage tour, Kevin Allocca reveals how YouTube tells our collective story. YouTube is not just an entertainment medium; it is a platform for the curation of what matters to us all. Kevin shows how the active participation of YouTube's audience has changed all of the rules of the traditional media paradigm. -- Jeffrey Katzenberg