Have you watched YouTube’s most popular video recently? If not, other people certainly have: Over the weekend, ‘Gangnam Style’ became the first clip in YouTube history to smash through the 2 billion views mark. In second place — as it has been since ‘Gangnam Style’ overtook it in November 2012 — is the music video for ‘Baby’ by Justin Bieber.
‘Gangnam Style’ reached 1 billion views in December 2012 after 159 days on the video sharing site (it was originally uploaded on July 15th, 2012). The second billion has taken 525 days, so the phenomenon is slowing down even if it shows no signs of stopping. The milestone was announced via the official YouTube Twitter feed. It’s also the most liked video on YouTube.
There’s a little Easter egg from YouTube to mark the occasion. A second dancing Psy has been added next to the view counter (the first appeared when 1 billion views was reached) — click on the animated character to reveal the surprise at the top of your screen.
“2 billion views… they are very honorable and very burdensome numbers,” Psy said in a statement reported by Billboard. “With appreciation, I will come back soon with more joyful contents!!” The pop artist is planning to release a full-length LP in the near future as he looks to capitalize on the continued popularity of the ‘Gangnam Style’ clip.
Does ‘Gangnam Style’ deserve its place as the most successful video in YouTube history? Or do you wonder what all the fuss is about? Let us know in the comments.
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