We have all heard of it, the famous
Gangnam style of Korean pop star PSY. The original video, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0),
along with tons of parodies, have been roaming about social media sites since
July. Typically Youtube sensations go viral, have a tremendous amount of
views and then slowly die down. But Gangnam style is different as its
popularity keeps going up! It is so popular The Economist couldn’t resist
writing an article about it. http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/10/data-behind-gangnam-style?fsrc=scn/gp/wl/bl/riseandriseofpsy
According to The Economist, as of Oct. 24th the
Youtube video had 532 million views. Take a look at this chart.
To go along with the chart, the article also includes
demographic information about the Gangnam Style audience. The Economist
states that the top demographic of fans are girls aged 13-17, then boys
13-24. I like the line graph with area for the presentation of video
views, but it would have been nice if the graph (or maybe a separate graph)
would have included the views by gender, age, and possibly region. The
video is a hit world-wide, I feel like the article is doing a bit of a
disservice by only showing us video views, visually.
The chart is great, but the really cool information is
hidden in the text. Did you know that the 532 million video views equals
36 million hours or 4100 continuous years of “phantom horseback-riding dance
moves”? If that doesn’t put Gangnam Style’s popularity in perspective I don’t
know what will. I don’t want to know how many brain cells have died because of
this. My reaction to the video: “Well I am never going to get those 4 minutes
of my life back.”
I also wish there would have been some more information
about the number of parodies that have followed. The fact that so many
people want to copy Gangnam Style also provides a great point about its
popularity. What are your favorite parodies?
What do you think of Gangnam Style? Are you surprised
by the numbers above? What information do you wish was included?
Fun Fact: Gangnam Style has its own Wikipedia page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangnam_Style
Source
The Economist (2012).
The data behind Gangnam Style: The rise and rise or PSY. Accessed online
on 11/04012 http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/10/data-behind-gangnam-style?fsrc=scn/gp/wl/bl/riseandriseofpsy
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