Chapter 1
The secret history of memes
Chapter 2
The mechanics of virality
Chapter 3
The battle for your brain
Chapter 4
Memes around the world
YOUR GOAL
Master of How internet culture works
Ch 2 · The mechanics of virality
futura The mechanics of virality
It starts with a feeling / just a spark on the screen / then it’s amplified / reaching everyone, everywhere.
futura Modern social media networks use recommendation algorithms to detect early engagement and push popular content to millions of feeds.
futura Memes thrive because they are designed to be remixed, allowing anyone to participate by adding their own personal twist.
Fun Fact
Physical arousal sharing: A 2011 study found that physical arousal, like jogging in place, makes people more likely to share articles online.
Glossary
virality (noun)
The rapid and widespread circulation of an image, video, or link on the internet. In 2019, a simple photo of a brown egg achieved global reach, amassing fifty million Instagram likes.
The rapid and widespread circulation of an image, video, or link on the internet. In 2019, a simple photo of a brown egg achieved global reach, amassing fifty million Instagram likes.
Quiz
What is the academic term for a culture where media consumers also actively produce and remix content?
Quiz
What does the high-arousal emotion of outrage typically lead to on social media networks?
Quiz
What did researchers find in 2011 regarding the relationship between physical arousal and article sharing?
Quiz
What engagement metric do modern social media algorithms prioritize most to determine if a video goes viral?
Quiz
According to researcher Jonah Berger, which high-arousal emotion is most likely to drive online sharing?