Viral Videos

What exactly is a viral video?  Is it something good or something bad?  The word viral could indicate something not so good, kind of like a virus that spreads and causes sickness and disease.  Is this the same type of thing only on the internet?  Doing a little research, I read the definition on Wikipedia, and learned a bit more about what a viral video is.  “A viral video is a video that becomes popular through a viral process of internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email.”

That being said, a viral video is one that is popular; as in over 5 million views in 3-7 days popular!  So—is this good or bad?  I would say it depends on the video content.  If the content is bad, then that could be considered not so good.  And if the content is good, then that could be considered a positive, right?  There have been some incidents where bullying, or cyberbullying has resulted because of videos that have posted and gone viral, causing those in the video extreme grief in their life.  There are also really great videos that have gone viral and have promoted good causes. 

The police are now under constant scrutiny due to viral videos that have shown police brutality, misconduct, shootings, etc.  This can either be a good thing or bad, as previously stated, depending on the content of the video.  Video that is being used in cases sometimes is held and not released for a time due to investigations taking place.  This can cause people to claim there are attempted cover-ups going on.  These types of situations have caused riots in cities where incidents have occurred. 

Political viral videos are in abundance this year and some of our current candidates help to create and feed the content for these videos.  Many viral videos are based on humor, and there seems to be an abundance of it lately.  The web traffic gained by viral videos allows for advertising revenue.  YouTube website is monetized by selling and showing advertising.  If they feel that a video is a viable candidate for advertising, they can contact and offer the original poster a profit-sharing contract.  Some videos have generated over $100,000 or more.   There are video creators who actually make a living posting videos of something they do and can generate enough cash for a decent living. 

I decided to check out some popular viral videos on a website called “Viral Viral Videos”.  They claim to post top viral videos on a daily basis.  I watched a video called “What’s inside an Etch A Sketch” and found this interesting, because as child, I always wondered how that thing worked!  I was fascinated by the dismantling of the Etch A Sketch, as a corner was sawed off, the aluminum powder was dumped out, the screen was smashed and broken, and the inner components were then revealed.  Amazing!  You can view this for yourself at this link:  http://www.viralviralvideos.com/2016/04/11/whats-inside-an-etch-a-sketch/

 Had I never taken time to watch this video, I would still to this day wonder how an Etch A Sketch works.  These toys have been around for over 40 years, and are still popular.  Pretty sweet!  I may have to refer to this site more often just to see what else I can learn about in life.  This is definitely an example of a “good” viral video.  Its informative, doesn’t create or promote anger or violence, and leaves you with a sense of satisfaction. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_video

http://www.viralviralvideos.com/