Psychology of Viral Trends and Memes
In the new digital era, trends and memes are the most visible manifestations of online culture. Funny images or funny catchy dance challenges can go viral within a matter of hours on the various social media platforms, captivating the world's attention. What makes these trends and memes viral? Viral trends and memes are associated with a mixture of cognitive, social, and emotional factors governing how individuals engage with and distribute particular content. Understanding those factors provides insight into human behavior in and beyond the digital world.
1. Emotional Impact
Among the most powerful drivers behind viral content is its emotional impact. Whether through humor, surprise, happiness, or even anger, emotions play a critical role in why people share content. Memes often rely on humor or relatability, which immediately connects one to the audience. From the perspective of the *emotional contagion* theory, emotion can be easily transferred from one individual to another, especially in digital realms. It can be forwarded and shared to other people because it creates some type of enjoyment or laughter. With this, a continuation of the virality of the meme will be established.
On the other hand, content that is made to create shock or outrage can also be viral. People are driven to share the feeling created with…
