Why Videos Go Viral

Kevin-Allocca

This blog post previously appeared in the Old Office Divvy Blog

Did you know even the most watch videos –like Sh*t Girls Say, or the “Friday Song” by Rebecca Black that you might remember seeing on Vimeo, YouTube or elsewhere, did not necessarily start out being popular.

But then, why and how these videos go viral?

According to YouTube Trends manager Kevin Allocca, there are three reasons why videos go viral:

  1. Rebecca Black’s “Friday” was on YouTube with not many views until people of influence like Jimmy Kimmel found them, and started sharing or showing on TV. And when that happens, kaboom! You have a viral video. Allocca calls this the Tastemaker effect.
  2. When a video starts becoming popular, others adopt it, edit it, and create versions. With “Sh*t Girls Say” when the video climbed in views, there had been many variations made by others. Alocca calls this the Communities of Participation effect.
  3. And the last reason a video goes viral according to Allocca is due to Unexpectedness. A video starts out one way and something shockingly or ridiculously unexpected happens in the video, that creates the sharing by the masses.
Ky Ekinci

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1 Comment

  1. Excellent presentation on how to build your Youtube channel Ky I am super excited to be part of a group that vest into business owners.

    We network, empower, and engage others through diverse resources.
    No man stands alone! Ojay

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