The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London has acquired and reconstructed the first video ever uploaded to YouTube, titled 'Me at the zoo,' along with an early version of the platform's watch page. The 19-second clip from 2005, featuring YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo, is now part of the museum's collection and is on display.
The acquisition represents a significant act of digital preservation, capturing a foundational moment in internet and design history. By treating this early web artifact as a museum object, the V&A is asserting the cultural importance of digital platforms and their role in shaping contemporary visual and social culture.