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| Graphic published by Joey Flores for the article How Can You Make Your Marketing Video Viral? |
The definition of a viral video is mostly relative. Viral status for a video varies between the platform, the viewership, the rate at which it gains views, and the buzz around it. As Megan O’Neill puts in her article titled, What Makes A Video ‘Viral’?: “When a video stands the test of time it can truly be considered ‘viral.’”
O’Neill considers four major factors of how to determine if a video has gone viral: viewership, buzz, parody, and longevity.
Viewership: How many views does the video have and how quickly did it gain those views?Buzz: Aside from views, is the video being discussed on social media or even the news?Parody: Is the video being remixed, re-cut, or otherwise incorporated into other videos?Longevity: Is the video going to be remembered? Will the viewers quote or reference the video for a long time after its release?
For videos that record newsworthy events, these factors can be applied by viewer response or whether the video is incorporated into broadcasts.
But just because a newsworthy video reaches any of these standards doesn’t mean it isn’t spreading misinformation or causing harm. The factors that make a video viral don’t determine importance, relevance, or credibility. A video that is memorable or garners enough buzz can be filled with bias or encourage bias within its audience.
In an NBC article examining the internet buzz of ‘#Pandemic’ used across social media platforms, Brady Zadrozny and Ben Collins look at a video from a discredited scientist that went viral. This video was shared by what Zadronzy and Collins refer to as, “anti-vaccination disinformation peddlers,” and was then picked up by minor celebrities.
In an NBC article examining the internet buzz of ‘#Pandemic’ used across social media platforms, Brady Zadrozny and Ben Collins look at a video from a discredited scientist that went viral. This video was shared by what Zadronzy and Collins refer to as, “anti-vaccination disinformation peddlers,” and was then picked up by minor celebrities.
The in-group of conspiracy theorists and “disinformation peddlers” are the ones who made this video popular enough to reach the mainstream. It directly related to their bias, and so they shared it among themselves. It racked up enough buzz that it reached the mainstream, and it encouraged bias from the rest of its audience.
The fact that a video has gone viral does not always correlate to its credibility. Even the means to which a video is considered viral are ambiguous. However, a viral video seems credible to many people because of its viewership and, eventually, the buzz around it. But videos aren’t lent credibility by way of views or curated buzz. A biased or misinformation video that goes viral simply spreads that misinformation far and wide.
Hi Olivia!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your article. It really made me think of how social media users are susceptible to believe everything they see online. Just because something goes viral doesn't mean all the information in the photo/video is true. It's like when Disney first reopened and photos went viral of crowds not social distancing but it was just the perspective that the photo was taken. Sometimes there is more to a story than what is shown.
Greetings Olivia,
ReplyDeleteI thought your article was very well written and analytical. I never really thought of how a video or article's virality affects it trustworthiness. I also found it interesting that longevity has a part to play in how viral something is, I always thought of viral as something that comes and goes quickly. The inclusion of the NBC article was also interesting because it can show how ones biases can mislead the masses when reporting.
Great Post,
Hunter
I think your commentary towards social media and the relative importance based on viewership is spot on. Just because something is viewed many times doesn't mean that it is newsworthy. A video by itself without context or information can be misleading and unrepresentative of a situation as well. As media continues its sprawling advance across all platforms I would expect to see this more often than not.
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