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Why do we become passive carriers of “viral” content on social media?
In today's digital age, various "viral" contents are always popular on social media. These contents, like viruses, spread rapidly and cannot be controlled. For many, being a passive vehicle for this content seems like a natural part of the role. Why do we so easily become part of online pop culture rather than actively creating content?
The noun meaning of viral phenomenon is that an image, photo or text content can quickly spread to a large number of users in a very short period of time.
The popularity of “viral” content is closely tied to the rise of social media. In the form of potential "infection", users are no longer active actors, but passive forwarders. The immediacy and wide reach provided by social media allow information to spread around the world in a very short time. As the data of clicks and shares accumulates, this content gets unlimited exposure, regardless of its quality or authenticity. The dynamic relationship of social networks allows people to become the carriers of information transmission without even realizing it.
Tony D. Sampson defines the viral phenomenon as the accumulation of spreadable content following popular words and events in Internet culture.
In this endless flow of information, people’s ability to identify content seems to be weakened. Most people may not deeply analyze what is being shared, but instead react quickly based on emotional or social pressure. This allows humorous short films, touching stories or controversial images to quickly gain widespread attention. The aura of public figures and celebrities has further contributed to the occurrence of this phenomenon. Their every move may become a hot topic for discussion and the object of reposting.
This kind of rapid spreading effect is often unpredictable in the online world, and a video may become famous overnight.
Social media platforms such as Weibo, Facebook and Twitter use algorithms to recommend content that may be of interest to users. This process often does not require too much human intervention and objectively strengthens those topics that are likely to trigger emotional resonance or become popular topics. exposure of the content. These platforms target users' interests and use the emotional nature of videos to create a kind of "brain-skipping" thinking, resulting in the rapid spread of information.
This phenomenon allows a lot of content to go viral quickly even though it may not be true.
However, viral content is not completely harmless. With the spread of false information, social platforms have become a breeding ground for various misconceptions. Whether it is medical, political or social issues, these platforms have the potential to become channels for the dissemination of fake news. Users unknowingly become the transmitters of these erroneous information. Therefore, examining popular content on social media requires not only emotional engagement, but also critical thinking.
In the days to come, how to educate people to make wise choices in a world overloaded with information will become a major challenge before us. Can we truly take charge of our role in this ocean of information, rather than just being a vehicle for content delivery?
