After 20 years, I don’t recognize the YouTube I grew up with

And that's okay, because I've changed too.

Apr 23, 2025 - 13:02

After 20 years, I don’t recognize the YouTube I grew up with

I was eight years old when Jawed uploaded the first video, “Me at the zoo,” to YouTube. I don’t remember it. In fact, I don’t think I even saw the video that started it all until later, when people began celebrating YouTube’s origins. That also means I don’t remember a time without YouTube. It’s just kind of always been there as a way to watch music videos, stumble down rabbit holes, and, of course, “broadcast yourself.”

But now, after 20 years, it feels like YouTube has changed. It’s grown from a wide-open video-sharing platform full of some of the funniest skits and sketches I’d ever seen to an ad-laden content empire full of influencers, carefully choreographed brand activations, and, yes, videos of cats doing cute things. And, while I haven’t loved every change that YouTube has made, I don’t think the internet would be the same without it.