'Friday' tops 2011 YouTube most-watched list
YouTube's list of the most-watched videos of the year tips its hat to the likes of Rebecca Black, a talking dog, and a pint-size Darth Vader.
Rebecca Black is the reigning queen of YouTube. Fun, fun, fun, fun.
(Credit: Rebecca Black)I have to confess that I'm not among the nearly 200 million viewers who have indulged in YouTube's most-watched video of 2011: Rebecca Black's "Friday" music video.
Hold on a sec, I'm going to go check it out... OK, I'm back. Someone, please get it out of my head. It hurts.
This poor pooch was short a few treats, but had plenty of YouTube views.
(Credit: Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET)According to YouTube's list of the most-watched videos of 2011, the runner-up for most-watched vid of belongs to a four-legged creature. "Ultimate Dog Tease" features a talking pooch being teased by an owner listing a variety of tantalizing meats. That one racked up almost 75 million views.
The rest of the list includes viral hits like "Saturday Night Live" music videos, Nyan cat, a "Star Wars"-themed Volkswagen ad, and a momma cat hugging a kitten.
YouTube also revealed its list of fastest-rising search terms. Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden radio voice, took the top spot for January. More recently, Skyrim buzzed up a storm in November.
Many years in the future, cultural anthropologists will look back at the 2011 YouTube list and come to the conclusion that we were a "Star Wars"-obsessed, tone-deaf society with a penchant for anthropomorphic animals. Sounds pretty accurate to me.
