Viral
Videos
When
it comes to my YouTube video selection, I always look to see how many views the
video has. I believe this to be a good indicator of whether the video will be
worth my time or not. The word “viral” has two very distinct meanings. According
to dictionary.com, viral can
mean “of, relating to, or caused by a virus.”
This is very different from the other definition given, which is “pertaining to
or involving the spreading of information and opinions about a product or
service from person to person, especially on the Internet or in emails.” I
personally believe that the second use of the word viral is more commonly used
in the United States than the original meaning of the word. I guess you could
say that the new meaning of “viral” went viral.
Now that we have cleared the air of what I
mean when I say a “viral video,” lets look at what makes a video actually be
considered viral. According to Meghan O’Neill, in her article titled ‘What Makes
A Video “Viral”?’ she outlines a few specific requirements. First is
viewership. If a video is viewed “5 million times within a 3-7 day period, it
is considered viral.” The next requirement is the video has to have a lot of
“buzz.” This means that it has to “be the talk of the town.” It can’t just have
a ton of views, it also has to be talked about a lot and shared through various
social media sites by thousands. Here are a few examples of viral videos that
have millions of views, and have a lot of buzz:
The
two videos above are classic examples of “viral videos” each have been viewed
and shared millions of times. They have even been remixed, auto tuned,
parodied, and copied to extend their reach and relevancy.
Sources:
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