Over the past decade, the video camcorder has become a commonplace household object. The rise of YouTube and other video sharing sites has made it significantly easier to distribute amateur video productions, and national broadcasters are increasingly interested in 'user-generated content' and the work of so-called 'citizen journalists'. For some, this growth in access to video production is part of a wider democratisation of media, and the emergence of a much more participatory media culture. However, others argue that such practices amount to little more than a trivial family pastime, that does little if anything to challenge the power of the established mass media. This book explores the diversity of 'video cultures' in contemporary Britain through a series of case studies ranging from citizen journalists to amateur pornographers, and from teenage pranksters to elderly members of video-making clubs. Through its discussion of specific video-making practices, the book raises broader issues about key themes in contemporary cultural studies, including creativity, social capital, identity and technology.