The top viral video of 2008

Time magazine has a list of the top ten viral videos of this past year. Their #1 pick is entitled "Where The Hell is Matt, " described thusly:

Matt Harding is a 32-year-old videogame designer who quit his job in 2003 to travel around Asia. Along the way, he recorded and posted a short video of himself doing an elbow-intensive jig in Hanoi. That clip got passed from one person to the next and eventually got the attention of Stride Gum, which decided to sponsor two more of his trips. In his latest video, Harding visits 42 countries over 14 months and invites the locals to join in the fun. That includes everyone from some Huli Wigmen in Papua New Guinea to a group of school kids in the Solomon Islands. The sheer silliness and joy of Harding's adventures will keep you smiling long after you've watched them — and give you a serious case of wanderlust.

I started to watch it. Within a minute I thought "this is ridiculous, and that is the stupidest dance I've ever seen." But as I continued to watch, the "silliness" became sort of appealing, and by the end I was enamored. It depicts the sort of meaningless joy that this world needs more of. Give it a try. (The musical accompaniment is, by the way, extremely appealing). [reposted, by request]