Since we first started blogging here in November, we’ve generated a lot of text…but that’s all rather analog, very not digital at all. In the spirit of a more digital post, I’d like to share a few of the best videos I’ve found explaining the Internet. These videos showcase — with the added benefit of graphics and sounds — many of the same ideas we’ve been discussing on this blog and why we find Digital Natives so fascinating.

(For technical reasons, videos can’t be embedded, but hyperlinks are still cool.)

The Machine is Us/ing Us
Michael Wesch, assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State, put together this insightful and technically brilliant video explaining web 2.0 and the revolution in how we store and process information.

We Think
How the Internet allows for the free flow of ideas across communities. True to form, the book that ties with this video is also editable by you in a wiki.

The Common Craft Show
A YouTube channel that explains all those Internet buzzwords like RSS, Twitter, social networking in plain English and as my fellow intern Diana calls it, “jankety crank animation.”

A History of the Internet
Berkman Fellow Ethan Zuckerman gives a brief history of the Internet from the days of ARPNET. Funny and illuminating, this video show why the Internet was and still is all about connecting people.

So remember when I said we were generating a lot of text but not much else? Not quite true, Digital Native videos are in the works — stay tuned!

– Sarah Zhang

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