New Year’s Eve, 2011, was not a good half hour for dogs in Sydney Harbour as an enormous fireworks display lit up the sky. Quickly posted to YouTube the celebration has become one of the days top-watched videos.
Sydney’s Spectacular New Year Fireworks
The city of Sydney, Australia has long prided itself with fabulous fireworks displays on the New Year because the setting of time zones has made it one of the first locations to hit midnight each year. 2011 was no different with an estimated 1.5 million fans gathered to see the display along the harbor.
The spectacular four and a half minute video on YouTube was posted by Russia Today while it was still December 31st for the rest of the world. Set to music, the fireworks display lights up bridges, silhouettes brightly lit sailboats along the bay, and had topped 83,000 hits by the morning of January 2nd.
London’s Fireworks over Thames
Contrasting is the video, courtesy of the BBC and posted by Russia Today, of the London fireworks celebration. This video starts with an awesome shot of the Big Ben tower, fooling us with a very sedate and tastefully white fireworks display; but after the countdown an amazingly colorful display explodes over the river.
Though spectacular, the London display is not gaining as much action. By Sunday morning a mere 19,000 viewers showed their interest in Big Ben.
Dropping the Ball in New York Times Square
Making a good competition with Australia, with a good 80,000 hits by Sunday morning, is a video of the U.S. Celebration in New York Times Square. Also posted by Russia Today, we can watch the glittery ball drop, and lots of kissing in the crowded streets. Yes, there are some fireworks, but this author can’t help but notice that the celebration in my country seems to be dominated by the brightly lit advertisements of huge corporations lining the event. As a matter of fact, I’m feeling a distinct urge to go out and buy a new computer and camera.
Comments on the Videos
In today’s world of social networking, we can use our twitters, Facebook posts, and comments to gauge the hearts and minds of the people. The downward economy is enthusiastically portrayed in the number of comments to these videos mentioning the overwhelming costs entailed in creating a few minutes of New Years explosions in cities around the globe.
Comments showed that people believed the awesome displays were stolen from the people, just added to the deficit, and that the money could have been used to feed whole countries. Other posts blithely remarked that, yes this was true, but it was worth it.
YouTube New Year’s Celebrations for 2011
YouTube gives anyone around the globe who has access to a computer the opportunity to join in by watching videos of events even minutes after they have happened. Not only are popular videos posted to YouTube’s front page for their 15 minutes of fame, but enthusiastic watchers often forward links of amazing sights along to their friends through emails, Facebook links and tweets.
YouTube, founded in 2005, has been running a mere six years as we hit the 2011 New Year’s celebration, and has changed the way people view the world. A decade ago no one could have foreseen events such as the Sydney Australia fireworks display being available almost instantly in every home. As we head into the new year it is interesting to speculate what might be in store for us in the next five years. Very much like the two-headed god of January, Janus, who can see both the past and the future, we can look both ways and go, “Wow!.”
Connie Delaney - Connie Delaney writes from Salmon, Idaho where she is a web designer, occasional funny girl, and Dances of Universal Peace leader.
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