What Is Viral?

Viral. The word itself is a little bit like what it describes: hard to pin down, but when you do. Well, you know the rest. What is "viral"? It's a buzzword that describes any content or media that becomes widely shared through social networks and online. "going viral" extends to many mediums, including videos, photos, games, articles, or even advertisements. The term has been around for over a decade, but only in the last few years have we seen it become a staple of our online lives. There are several different definitions of "viral. "In its most basic sense, viral content is shared by users on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. It can include anything from photos to videos to articles, even links! But it's not just about how often something is shared; if it goes viral enough that people are talking about it on other platforms like Reddit or Tinder (yes), it qualifies as going "viral. "Some companies have even created strategies to create viral content with their advertisements or campaigns (think: Dove's Real Beauty Sketches campaign). The best way to think about how to go viral on social media is to imagine each network as a set of concentric rings. At the center are your posts and the posts of your closest friends. The next circle includes your friends of friends, then friends of friends of friends, and so on. The further you move away from the center, the less likely you will interact with that original post; nevertheless, the original post can still go viral. Viral content is not relegated to social media networks, but they are certainly one place where ideas can spread quickly. Viral content spreads like wildfire because people want to share it with friends and family.