Charlie Bit My Finger video to be auctioned as an NTF
If you were online in 2007, you are likely one of the 880 million people who have seen the iconic video of Charlie biting his brother Harry’s finger.
In the days when viral videos were few and far between, this one was etched into everyone’s memories.
Now, the Davis-Carr family are removing their video from YouTube and auctioning it as an NFT, or non-fungible token.
Non-fungible means something which cannot easily be swapped out or traded.
An NFT for a digital asset is like a certificate to say that you own something digital, in this case — the Charlie Bit My
Finger video.
NFTs mean original versions of viral videos, memes or tweets can be sold as if they were art.
The video was uploaded to YouTube by Harry and Charlie’s dad, Howard, in 2007, because he could not email it to their godparents in America.
The family website says the clip was filmed as “a part of catching random moments as the boys were growing up”, and that it “unintentionally went viral”.
The boys, who are now 17 and 15, are “soon entering adulthood” so it is the right time to “embrace the next iteration of the internet”, the site adds.
“This is not the end of the beloved video, but rather a new beginning.”
The website also says the person who places the winning NFT bid will be given the chance to create their own parody of the video, featuring Harry and Charlie.
The auction for ownership of the NFT will begin tomorrow, and it could go for a lot of money.
The Disaster Girl Meme — a picture of a young girl smiling with a fire in the background — was recently sold as an NFT for US$473 000 (£341 000).
Zoë Roth, now 21, said she would donate the money to charities, and use it to pay off her student loan.
The Davis-Carr family have not specified what they will do with the money from the Charlie Bit My Finger auction. — BBC Online.