#SpreadJoy: If You’re Happy And You Know It, Post It!

Posted on by Cameron Spera

Virality is something that we all aim for as social media users. We’re constantly watching video after video, seeing meme after meme, wondering how they became so popular in the first place. If you’ve ever been on Twitter, Vine, Facebook, or really any social media platform, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Sometimes this content can even get so popular, it makes it on the news.

So what catches our eyes? What makes us pay attention? How does online content become nationally or even world famous?

There are many aspects of viral content that people have studied and discovered are common throughout content that goes viral. Some of the highlights (via the Scientific American and Social Triggers):

  • positive content over negative content
  • content that evokes high arousal emotions
  • practically useful content
  • the story behind the content
  • funny or entertaining content
  • content that will make a big splash or has an element of surprise

I chose to focus on a few of these elements for this Pin. First, content that is positive in nature or has an uplifting message is more likely to go viral than those with negative connotations.

This assignment came at a time in my life when positive thoughts were kind of scarce. After thinking about what I would do for the assignment, I was motivated to create something that could lift me up and hopefully do the same for others. One way I wanted to do this was by using pictures of people only with happy faces. The smiles and expressions of happiness and joy are so uplifting and made me feel happier instantly. Aside from that, they are all people who I know and love, so looking back at past memories of really good times with really good people made me feel a great deal of joy. Obviously that was more of a personal moment for me and not necessarily a reason why it would go viral, but I hope to spread this joy and encourage other people to post pictures of their faces because even on your worst day, just a simple smile can go a long way.

Another highlight of viral content is that it evokes high arousal emotions. These types of emotions range from anger and fear, to surprise and joy. I chose to target the joy emotion rather than another one simply because I think it is one of the more positive emotions that a person can feel and it makes us and the people around us feel better. I also believe that these feelings of joy could cause someone to share the post or use the hashtag on a post as a way to share the joy that they experienced from looking at the pictures.

In my social media use, positive and uplifting content gets shared more often than negative content. The fact that this content is positive in nature already gives it a reason to be shared. Everyone has bad days and sharing positive messages that can make someone smile or make their day a little bit better can really help.

#SpreadJoy one #smile at a time.

[pin_widget url=”https://www.pinterest.com/pin/43417583885636808/”]

For this assignment, I didn’t spend any money! All of the pictures were pictures that I took of my friends and family from the last year or so. I then used Photoshop to create the grid and design and printed it out. This proved to me that you can create your own happiness without having to spend money.

In order to market this on social media, I will use my personal Twitter and Facebook accounts in order to create engagement and draw people to my Pin. I plan on mostly using Twitter for shorter, quick types of promotion for my card and Facebook for a longer explanation of the card.

For this part of the assignment, I created a test Twitter account to post the tweets, but I will use my actual personal account for the marketing when it starts. I would post one tweet each day until the assignment is over.

Along with these tweets, I will also be using Facebook throughout the week.

Post 1: We all have bad days. How do we fix that? #SpreadJoy to your friends and family with just a simple smile. Happiness is contagious and a little can go a long way. Like and share my Pin to #SpreadJoy to all of your followers. If you’re happy and you know it, post it! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/43417583885636808/

Post 2: Positive minds live positive lives. #SpreadJoy to everyone by posting a simple smile and sharing my Pin. If you’re happy and you know it, post it! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/43417583885636808/

Post 3: Sometimes, positive messages are hard to come by, but sharing a simple smile can help on even your worst day. #SpreadJoy like and share my Pin! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/43417583885636808/

 

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