Why Do Things Go Viral on the Internet?

Photo of one of many Dubai Chocolate packs that have been going viral on the internet (Credit: https://www.heute.at/i/diese-dubai-schokolade-darf-nicht-mehr-verkauft-werden-120083334/doc-1ihhvhnfv4)

Lately, all we’ve been seeing across multiple countries are Dubai Chocolate Labubu Matcha lattes, six seven, and Italian Brainrot, but have you ever wondered how these things show up on your for you page in the first place? Getting millions of views isn’t based on chance, despite what many people think: there are a few characteristics of viral videos.

Different researchers seem to have varying opinions on this topic, but in this article are triggers, word of mouth, social currency, relatability, and distribution/timing as the easiest ways to ensure your content gets the attention you intend.

One of the most important factors is triggers. A trigger is a term used in psychology that refers to a stimulus. These stimuli produce an emotional response. “High arousal emotions” such as anger, joy, fear, or excitement set off certain chemicals in your brain. According to “Going viral: the psychology of how and why we share on social media” by The Social Intelligence Lab, these chemicals are similar to the brain's reward system activated by drugs, and trigger small blasts of dopamine. 

Word of mouth is another way things go viral. This can be associated with triggers due to the fact that the more we think of things, the more we speak of them. More often than not, videos are shared with more than one person. Those multiple people you send it to, send it to five more, continuing the cycle until that one clip has millions of views.

Social currency is the idea of making people think highly of you through how you present yourself, elevating your social status. We, as people, naturally care how we’re viewed. Seeing something make someone else look better causes us to want that too. Observing someone get complimented on their new Labubu creates a probable chance of you following suit and buying one too. 

We all love things we can relate to. The notion that someone is experiencing the same things as you makes us feel less alone or more inclined to like that relatable person."Content that resonates with a broad audience, or that speaks directly to a specific community, is far more likely to be shared,” as ‘The Science Behind Why Things Go Viral’ by Data Dab states. This feeling of relatability creates shareable content that proceeds to get shared more times than non-relatable content. 

Distribution and timing are other things. When or where you post can make all the difference. Facebook will have different conditions than TikTok for your clips to go viral. Collaborating with well-known influencers at the moment and posting while they’re still relevant is sure to get more views. Posting irrelevant trends can make you fail to gain views. Though this is all true, you also have to consider your audience or who you’re targeting your content towards. Kids will enjoy bright colors, but adults may enjoy something informative.