How do YouTube Videos Become Viral?

Gangnam Style, Charlie bit my finger, Annoying Orange…how on Earth do these videos become so popular, without any particular showing of talent nor logical reasoning? For example, what skill is there in filming your toddler biting his older brother, and why would a stranger share this? Procrastination clearly is not killed off at University…

According to Kevin Allocca, a trends manager at YouTube, speaking at TedYouth in New York,

Anyone can be famous on the internet…I can make any of you famous by next Saturday.”

Surely this would confirm what I have said? Apparently, the skill is not in the content, and nor does the viewer have poor taste to whom they spread their viruses (in Southampton we save that for Jesters, I believe). The case he cites (a video where a man screams with delight upon seeing a rainbow at a national park) explains how the video garnered very few views in its first year. However, a popular Tweeter, Jimmy Kimmel, tweeted about the video being very amusing. This drew his followers attention to the video, and so his followers watched it, shared, etc.

Now in this example, there was a recommendation. A popular member of the internet community recommends a video, everyone wants to emulate his approval. Therefore, the video goes viral. At its peak, the video had twelve million views. But it soon tailed off, as other videos filled the gap. Everyone who would ever want to watch a man screaming at a rainbow had seen it enough for them to simply want to shout, “Shut up!”

A counter to this theory, however, is Rebecca Black’s “Friday”. I should imagine I don’t need to explain this, but clearly the recommendation was purely based on how terrible she was considered. Just like how an ambulance comes past and everyone turns to look (as if a dead body would fall out of the back), everyone wants to know for themselves how much Rebecca Black is like the girl who must always have the school play lead, even though other girls are better.

“An individual or a group of people formed an opinion…about a video.” That is one way to create a video virus, but are there any others?

Certainly. There is also “Community Participation”. Where there is an opening for viewers to interact with the video and place a personal creative mark on the original video, banter shall be made and videos spring like viruses from the infected video. Mr Alloca cites Nyan Cat, where there are three, five and hour versions, as well as Catwoman, Oreo Box, cats watching Nyan Cat (and cats watching cats watching Nyan Cat – I’m not joking; nyanception!) and so on and so forth – the creativity is virtually endless. And where creativity is virtually endless, a cult arises, and the video becomes viral, a pop icon. It’s like how Lady Gaga would struggle without her Little Monsters.

So is there any surefire way in making a Youtube video viral? Well, the abstract concept is that one must connect with the audience in such a way that inspires them. Considering that a lot of users are young and male, a shot of breasts work well.

Oh, that’s Redtube? Well, the answer is no. One never knows how a viewer will react to your video. You may have made a masterpiece, but it will languish at the bottom unless someone can find it. How else can you explain Hollywood trash when (in my opinion) we have beautiful works of art like these ice skating fencers?

Biased, I know.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below.