The Victoria & Albert Museum has acquired the first-ever YouTube video, "Me at the zoo," along with the platform's original 2006 front-end code and early advertisements. The 19-second clip, featuring co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo, has been integrated into a reconstructed version of the site’s early "watch page" through a collaboration between museum curators and YouTube’s design team. The installation is now on view at V&A South Kensington and the V&A East Storehouse.
This acquisition marks a significant step in the institutional preservation of digital culture and the "creator economy." By treating website code and user-generated content as design artifacts, the V&A highlights the complex conservation challenges inherent in ephemeral digital media. The move positions the YouTube watch page as a defining emblem of Web 2.0, reflecting how early interface design has fundamentally reshaped contemporary social and economic systems.