Animated GIFs of the 1990s were rarely perfect. They either moved too fast or too slow, "jumped" at junctions, or contained forgotten pixels, like the famous hula girl. Take a closer look at the queen of homepage graphics, erotik.gif. The way she moves her gams up and down is very convincing, but it is against everything we know about anatomy.

The first time you see the signs of a generational shift in someone younger than yourself, it’s both a shock and an almost material difference. Which is ironic when pretty much all the indicators of this difference are contained in this younger generation’s aptitude in managing the immaterial, their digital dexterity. After this it’s not like you want to hang on to anything analogue (like books, for example), just for the sake of it.

Thumbs up or down, share, replay, save to playlist, recommend—these actions are the building blocks of YouTube’s functionality. While YouTube Play focuses on YouTube as a means of presentation and distribution, there are a number of artists whose work engages the form of the site itself. Functional elements such as the frame, the underlying structure, and the overall aesthetics of YouTube are the subject of a critical and growing body of work, highlighted in the following examples.

A dark force had overtaken our sleepy Midwestern college town. Something wicked this way came, distracting even the most studious members of our liberal arts fiefdom, disturbing the peaceful weed-smoking circle beneath the gnarled oak known as the “wisdom tree.” Flautists put down their instruments, and hacky sacks stopped in midair. The Grendel-monster in our midst was a “confessional” website started by some pimply freshman with an unholy knowledge of HTML.

I have my own particular way of using YouTube. Mostly I relate to historical documentation; popular, highly viewed postings usually fade quickly from my view, and thoughts. Lately, I have been completely over taken by classic outtakes of Bob Dylan—remarkable moments captured and now posted to “live forever” on YouTube. The following selections are my favorites, and I watch them in heavy rotation for inspiration.