Why Videos Go Viral by Kevin Allocca

View this talk here.

Summary:

The TED Talk provides information that explains why videos go viral on social media platforms like YouTube. It is mentioned that these phenomenon's occur for several reasons, such as the videos being different in order to stand out, the individuals that create the media - the more influential, the better, and interactions, such as other internet users re-sharing the videos or creating their own inspired ones of them.

What did you learn?

I learned from the TED Talk that videos do not go viral for no reason, and that many factors contribute to the popularity of seemingly "random" clips, so if someone wanted to grow in popularity on the internet, they would consider several things, like building a platform for themselves in order to guarantee the views and participations on their media form.

How will you use the information?

I now understand how algorithms work to recommend videos upon others' interactions with them, and the way many factors come into play to make such things grow across several platforms and reach countless people through multiple reposts, parodies, and other forms of inspired media.

Who would enjoy this talk?

I think that my brother would enjoy this TED Talk, so its very likely that I would recommend it to him, as he is a middle schooler and so is extremely interested in social media and the way it works and how he can partake in it.