For the Viral Content Challenge, I decided to create an image with text, using a photo I took of a beach. The text on the image represents “6 ways to be happy now,” as I think that this is an important, and often over thought, idea, which has the potential to be viral on social media, and particularly Pinterest.
In class and throughout my own research and observation, I have learned a lot about what aspects make content viral, and I have tried to incorporate them into my own content.
Today we see so much content on social media, and a great amount of it has the possibility of being viral, but in reality only a fraction of it does. With the increase in content, we give less time and consideration to each individual post, as there is so much to see and interact with. This means that content must catch our attention quickly and effectively in order to be viral. I think that my content embodies this idea, as the text is brief, and the layout is visually appealing. I believe that people will be intrigued by it, and therefore take a moment to read it, and as a result, hopefully pin it. As a social media user myself, I often come across many similar images, and it is the to the point, but useful, messages that I am most likely to read, and ultimately like or share.
Additionally, throughout research on viral content, as well as my own experiences engaging with it, I have concluded that lists are very popular. As mentioned before, they are a quick read, but also clearly lay out steps for the viewer to take to achieve the ultimate goal, which in this case is happiness. The list provides “6 ways to be happy now,” which although may seem simple, are a nice reminder to anyone striving to live a happy life. The steps may be fairly straightforward, but often it’s the little things in life that are the most overlooked, when in reality they are the most important.
Off of that, we have talked a great amount in class about the idea that positive content is far more likely to go viral on social media than negative. People tend to like and share ideas and images that ignite emotion within them, particularly joy and happiness. Through my content, I wanted to drive this emotion, by providing viewers with some of the steps necessary to obtaining the desired emotion, happiness. The image that I created provides a short list of “ways to be happy now,” which although may seem simple, are a nice reminder to anyone striving to live a happy life. The steps may be fairly basic, but often it’s the little things in life that are the most overlooked, when in reality they are incredibly important. Happiness is viral in nature, and therefore happy content is likely to be viral virtually. My content is not only happy, but provides ways for others to find happiness in the moment, and thus I believe that it could be viral.
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