As cliche as it may sound, everything has to start somewhere—in this case, it is websites. There are an abundance of times where a website ends up in a completely different spot from its starting point. Originally, Facebook functioned as a place where Harvard students could compare the attractiveness between two random classmates. On the flip side, Craigslist started out as an email list to friends about local events in the San Francisco Bay Area. And YouTube? Well, everyone can attest that YouTube back then was completely different from what it is today. 

Before YouTube was the corporation it is now known for, it was just an idea shared by its founders: Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim, three former PayPal employees. Initially, YouTube was supposed to be an online video dating website. Users would upload videos of themselves describing their interests while at the same time mentioning what they seek out in a partner.

The founders would place ads on Craigslist prompting women to record and upload their videos on YouTube for a $100 reward. However, the lack of dating videos made them change their plans and accept any genre upload to the platform. 

It did not take a genius for them to realize the website’s broader potential—and with that, in 2005, the domain name ‘www.youtube.com’ would be activated. The first ever YouTube video uploaded to the site would feature one of its founders, Jared Karim, at the San Diego Zoo in front of the elephant exhibit.

It was not anything flashy or up to the standards that some may have of YouTube videos today. Instead, it was just a 19-second clip of Karim speaking about the elephants and their long trunks. YouTube would officially launch on Dec. 15th of that same year; videos were roughly 30 seconds long since clips were restricted to 100 megabytes.

Some might believe that YouTube was the first of its kind—but this could not be farther from the truth. The idea of a video-sharing website was not exactly original with platforms such as Vinmeo, Metacafe and Dailymotion gaining popularity before YouTube could even make its debut.

Even Google previously tried to create their own video-sharing site once in 2005. Google Video sought to host video clips on Google servers and allow them to be embedded into other websites. Unfortunately, Google Video struggled to gain a significant amount of traction.

What set YouTube apart from other sites that included video distribution was that it was simple—there were no other special kinds of software needed, such as requiring its users to register an account before seeing any clips. Also, including a faster way to search for videos and discover new footage.

Of course, nowadays, these kinds of attributes are not exactly anything special. However, besides having a video archive—YouTube made it so that the everyday person could also participate in the video sharing. A feat that might seem small today, but back then they made YouTube stand out. 

It did not take long for the site to gain popularity; in July 2006, it was announced that YouTube had approximately 65,000 new uploads and 100 of millions views per day. A few months later in November, Google purchased the site for $1.65 billion, obviously seeing its potential as being number one in the ever-growing online video sharing market. By this time, features such as personalized profiles for users, full-screen videos and subscriptions were added onto the platform.

In 2007, YouTube introduced its Partner Program, allowing creators to monetize their content and earn a share of the revenue from ads placed on their videos (as long as they meet certain requirements, as of now its 1,000 subscribers alongside 4,000 public watch hours).

The rest was history—YouTube would become the main video-sharing platform and would see many well-known content creators making their start online. The first wave of YouTubers would include the likes of CharlieIsSoCoolLike, FiveAwesomeGirls, SMOSH, Nigihiga, Jackfilms and plenty more whose channels gave people an intense feeling of nostalgia.

These videos by classic YouTubers did not have that refined look like most have today, but it was clear that authenticity was present. The majority of users that uploaded were just ordinary people showcasing their life experiences and comedy ideas to the world. The unpolishness of the era only made it more charming for the people watching the YouTube videos and getting a peek into the creator’s life.

Afterwards came the second wave of YouTubers that may seem the most familiar to Generation Z. Many of these YouTubers would go on to define the different genres of the platform and maintain a spot in people’s memories. For beauty and DIY content, Zoella, MyLifeAsEva, Rclbeauty101, Niki and Gabi, Bethany Mota and SaraBeautyCorner were some YouTubers that come to mind. 

On the other hand, SkyDoesMinecraft, DanTDM, LDShadowLady, StacyPlays, stampylonghead, IHasCupQuake and PopularMMOs are remembered for their evocative Minecraft being that was often featured on the recommendation page for many users scrolling on YouTube. 

The list goes on, but the fond memories that are held with YouTube as a whole will always stay. Nothing remains the same forever and YouTube upholds this saying to its truest extent; what once was something simple turned more complex with the additions of YouTube Shorts, Music and live-streaming. 

Regardless of how much time passes, the old version of YouTube alongside its creators who made the website into what it is today will forever remain cherished by those who remember what the platform once was.