Can humor be quantified? Google thinks it’s possible, having recently developed an algorithm which ranks the funniest videos on YouTube. It takes into account certain elements of the video, user comments and votes on the recently launched YouTube Comedy Slam section of the site.
Google engineer Sanketh Shetty explained the methodology for finding the funniest YouTube video in a blog post.
“We focused on videos uploaded in the comedy category. We captured the uploader’s belief in the funniness of their video via features based on title, description and tags. Viewers’ reactions, in the form of comments, further validate a video’s comedic value,” he wrote.
This is where it gets interesting, as Google engineers tried to analyze what exactly makes a user comment indicative of a video being funny. “We noticed that viewers emphasize their reaction to funny videos in several ways: e.g. capitalization (LOL), elongation (loooooool), repetition (lolololol), exclamation (lolllll!!!!!), and combinations thereof. If a user uses an “loooooool” vs an “loool”, does it mean they were more amused,” asks Shetty.
You can see the results of the experiment on Google’s Comedy Slam leaderboard.
While Google’s methodology seems sound, humor is a very subjective category – we’re sure that many users won’t agree with Google’s choice. We can’t help but wonder how easily can this algorithm be abused, for example by adding and upvoting comments that mimic positive reactions. As the project gains popularity, we’ll probably see an increasing number of attempts to somehow game the system.
Right now, the funniest video on YouTube of all time, according to Google algorithm, is this collection of pranks (we advise you to lower the volume on your speakers, as the video gets quite loud).
According to the same method, the funniest video this week is a video of a man trying to reach a tomato through fan blades.
What do you think about these videos? Do they deserve the title of “funniest YouTube videos”? Do you think Google’s “humor algorithm” needs more work? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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