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The Anatomy of Going Viral

The Anatomy of Going Viral

###1. It Starts as a Good Idea

“The internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom.” — Jon Stewart

• A running joke (Cats, Chuck Norris, Nickelback)

• Something that will cause arguments/discussions (The Dress, Benghazi, Rob Bell)

• A story that’s emotionally resonant (Joseph Kony, a deaf woman hearing for the first time, a John Oliver rant)

###2. It Gets Seen

“Everyone’s an influencer.” — Yahoo Labs

• It gets voted up on Reddit (It makes it to ‘the front page of the Internet’)

• People start sharing it (It becomes a trending topic on social media sites like Twitter)

• It becomes the subject of debate (Everyone on Facebook has an opinion about it)

###3. It Gets Picked Up

“Content is king, but distribution is queen.” — Jonathan Perelman, BuzzFeed VP

• Sites like Mashable and Uproxx carry the story

• Traditional media outlets mention it

###4. It Makes an Impact

“Change is the result of insurmountable market pressure.” — Ted Coiné, author

• Many viral trends have transcended their online presence and made real social impact.

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