4 Traits Why These Videos Create Internet Craze

Virality is what every Internet celebrity or business is looking for, and data scientists have been striving to unveil the associated coefficients and the factors. The term has become particularly heated since ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which went viral on all kinds of social media within 2 months, with celebrities, politicians and athletes publishing videos of themselves being poured ice water on their heads online and on TV. In the end, the ALS Association received $41.8 million in donations from over 700,000 new donors. Beforehand, that was also a viral event, namely Harlem Shake. Thanks to many celebrities endorsing the interesting dance, related videos had been bombarding every one’s newsfeed on social media.

It is well understood that the phenomenon of videos or pictures going viral is windfall, and businesses should not count on any one single factor and expect that what they deem interesting can end up penetrating the Internet world virally. Nevertheless, we can still catch some common traits of viral contents and I will walk you through these characteristics in this article.

1.    Short and concise

This goes beyond saying, if you post videos on Instagram or Snapchat, most likely, audience will allow up to 10 seconds to decide if the contents can possibly fill up their boredoms. It is way too convenient for Internet users to switch windows and shut off any media. Therefore, no matter what kind of topic you are planning for upcoming video contents, limit them within 60 seconds and ideally 30 seconds. Weird as it may seem, the faster you can deliver your idea, the catchier your potential viewers find it. Technically, the percentage of viewers watching the full length of your videos can be as low as 30% on average. Get to your points fast and make sure they are on point! 

2.    Actionable

Apart from simply asking you to share and like the posts, viral videos always pump you up and ask you directly or indirectly to take certain actions. Recall Ice bucket challenge in which supporters explicitly tag their friends and request them to do the movement or donate money otherwise. Also recall the controversial ‘heart-shaped boob challenge’ which implicitly encouraged women to mould their breasts into hearts. All the internet crazes hit the Internet world from the West to the East by storm and although some countries may censor the associated contents, the official crackdown in fact did not deter people from sharing the bizarre yet catchy videos amongst their social circles.

3.    Relatable

People enjoy being likeable. In most cases, social media merely reflects the bright sides of oneself, because we actively seek ways to be likeable. In other words, we always hope our wall posts and ideas are agreeable and being liked by people. There are topics that work well universally, namely humor, babies and pets. However, to be uniquely identified with, you can indeed try some controversial topics. Not to offend deeply rooted cultures, contents speaking of stereotypes and gender perception instead are worth trying. Slickly making use of sense of humor can definitely give your posts a boost and perhaps get your ideas across within seconds.

Should a large population can relate to the traditional perceptions, the chance of the post getting viral is much higher. 

4.    Emotional

(Source: ChicagoNow)

Recall the recent #MeToo campaign which asked women to step up to voice out their frustrating experiences and fight against sexual wrongdoings. Across the globe, many celebrities tweeted and retweeted the saddening stories to inspire women that it is time to make a change to the long-standing unfairness. These topics usually cover some tips of political or large-scale social issues and audience feel so involved with the posts. #Gaymarriage is another obvious example, just that it expresses joyfulness to LGBT community as many countries start to legalize gay marriage, despite many regulations and changes awaiting being enforced.

A timely response to the new political issue can definitely reach more people than your usual posts. It’s easy to find your echo chambers thanks to addictive social media.