On April 24, 2005, a video titled “Me at the zoo” became the first ever to grace the YouTube platform. Uploaded by Jawed Karim, one of the platform’s co-founders, the 19-second clip showcases Karim in front of an elephant exhibit at the San Diego Zoo, discussing the animals’ trunks. The video has since garnered over 317 million views. YouTube was originally conceived as a dating website by Karim, Steve Chen, and Chad Hurley, but the idea later pivoted to video sharing. The platform launched in May 2005 and was acquired by Google a year later. Today, YouTube remains a popular social media platform, particularly among teenagers, with nearly one in five using it almost constantly.