‘Gangnam Style’ Booted From YouTube’s Most Viewed Charts — But Why?

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10:57 am October 16, 2012
Posted on... 10:57 am October 16, 2012
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The sensationally viral K-pop video “Gangnam Style” may have already hit its peak thanks to a change this week in YouTube’s algorithm that focuses on engagement rather than views.

PSY’s “Gangnam Style” has not only been knocked off the top spot of the Most Viewed Music Videos by One Direction’s “Live While We’re Young” — it’s dropped off the charts completely. The blog “Omona They Didn’t” claimed that the reason for “Gangnam Style’s” demise could be that many viewers had watched the video for only a few seconds before closing it. They also suggested a more sinister cause — like bots clicking the video repeatedly to up the video’s view count. Others on the Internet, particularly Japanese blogs, have made bold claims that the song was a “manufactured” phenomenon. But then again, “Gangnam Style” never reached the Top 10 in Japan.

It’s not the only time that the Internet raised suspicions about “Gangnam Style’s” disappearance from the YouTube charts after reaching number one. NMR wrote last month that the website WhatHappenedToGangnamStyle.com claimed that “Gangnam Style” was a victim of payola by rival record companies trying to stifle its success. They noted that “Gangnam Style” disappeared from the Most Liked chart a week after reaching number one. A day later, the website said that “Gangnam Style” went back to its number one spot.

The question still remains: Is there a conspiracy against “Gangnam Style,” or has the song simply reached the end of its course like other hits played ad nauseam? Whatever the case is, it was fun while it lasted.

By Ed Carrasco

Ed Carrasco has been in the journalism field for nearly a decade. Some of his photographs/articles have been featured in publications such as the Guardian, LA Weekly, OC Weekly, the Fullertonian, Cerritos-Artesia Patch and Orange Coast Magazine. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from UCLA and a master’s degree in Journalism from Kingston University in the United Kingdom.

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