The psychology behind viral trends
Viral trends such as the #Kiki challenge, in this age of worldwide online connectivity, can be compared in some ways to large-scale social movements of the past.
However, social movements during the time without internet were always for a cause, and taken up by people who strongly supported or believed in that cause. Most viral trends today are with a large-scale audience who want nothing more than to participate, share and then pass it on.
There is usually no agenda to change or resist. There may a cause for some, like the Ice Bucket Challenge — which was specifically initiated to raise funds for research to help patients suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS.
On the other side, challenges like #Kiki Challenge, Running Man Challenge, Harlem Shake or Gangnam Style had no particular cause than to share. Jonah Berger, a professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, published a book named ContagiousBora n in hisconnected study and analysis of viral information including images, stories, jokes, videos and ideas.
According to him, there is a science behind things going viral and this involves several factors. Social currency is one — people think of sharing information as a form of online currency.
This exchange makes the user an active participant in social media, and thereby becoming part of creating or sharing something.
The sharing could also be due to triggers, such as top-of-mind topics or attention-grabbing content that is important to the person sharing it and his or her social circle. Berger also finds that sometimes sharing of videos or other content in public by one person can encourage another person to o and share it — even if the content may cause some social embarrassment.
“Sharing online is about belonging to a group, and this sense of being in a group gives people a feeling of security, comfort and even power, self-identity and self-esteem,” said Dr Mrabet Jihene, a clinical psychologist based in the UAE.
This is also why these kind of social viral challenges are taken up by people of all ages, she said.
“When it’s a challenge done by celebrities, the group becomes a prestigious one and all the more appealing to be a part of,” she added.