Alexander Rea

For tomorrow nights ZAP class I would like the students to please read Rajesh Setty’s Life Beyond Code Blog article “Lessons from 9 Viral Videos and 3 Second Acts” .  One of the topics I want to touch on is the concept of virality and it would be great if everyone is familiar with these classics.

From the article published on Tue 18 Aug 2009:

You would have seen one or more of these viral videos – some of these took off like wildfire on YouTube.

There is no ONE reason why videos become viral but there are a few observations we can make about the characteristics of these videos. A typical viral video will have some combination of these 7 characteristics:

1. Content:
The content VERY uncommon. It is hard (and takes a LOT of discipline) to re-create such content. Plus, even if you were able to re-create it, the duplicate may not fly the way the original took off. “Video #6 Noah takes a photo of himself everyday for 6 years” is one such example.

2. Chance:
This can happen to the surprise of the video creators. Gary Broslma (#4 Numa Numa video) and Matt Harding (#3 Where the hell was Matt) are examples. Both Gary and Matt have publicly admitted that even in their dreams they didn’t expect their videos to gain the popularity they gained.

3. Characters:
The characters behave in a way that is totally shocking or surprising for the occasion. “Video #8 JK’s Wedding Entrance” is one such example. Nobody expected that the bride, bridegroom and their friends would enter the way they entered (dancing) for the wedding event.

4. Comical:
The video captures a totally (unbelievably) comical moment that people are dumbfounded. They wonder “How could this really happen?” and share it with others. “Video #2 – Miss Teen USA South Carolina answering a question” is a good example here.

5. Community:
The community (local or global) participates and becomes part of the video. Naturally, they help spread the video and because of the massive collective action, the video goes viral. An example of that is “Where the hell is Matt (2008)” version in the “Second Acts” section.

6. Compelling
The message is compelling and touches our hearts and souls. “Video #6 Dove Evolution” is an example of a compelling message. The video shows how we have a misconception of “beauty” in this world.

7. Creativity
Extreme creativity. “Video #9 Krishna Act” is gives an example of such extreme creativity. When you watch the video, you can’t do anything but to appreciate the sheer creative talent displayed by the team.
Now please enjoy these viral videos.

One of my all-time favorites.  Opens up for a future discussion and something creative is always faced with, the subjective and relative concept of “beauty”.

Please read the entire article at Life Beyond Code.  Comments would be appreciated and could serve as an ice-breaker tomorrow.

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