Tuesday, December 14, 2010

YouTube's Number One Video Of 2010

Phone conversation:
J.: You've got to E-Mail them and find out how they promoted their video so that it became YouTube's Number One video of all of 2010!

M.: They receive a comment on their video about every ten seconds. Why should they answer me?

J.: You never know until you try!

M.: Why should I care? It started locally, and then it blew up. There is no surefire secret to make a meme go viral. It usually happens because there is something unique and entertaining about the video. It's something you can't plan!

J.: So, how do we get their secret?

M.: There's no secret! If you could determine in advance which videos go viral, everyone's videos would go viral. But most don't.

J.: We've got to know!
So, how did "Bed Intruder" become 2010's equivalent to the Ebola virus?:
“Kelly and Antoine may be victims but they are fearless,” Kenyatta told me. “They both take control of the camera and call out their attacker. They issue a call to action telling people in their community to look out for the perpetrator. And yes, Antoine may not seem traditionally articulate, but he uses his time on camera to be performative and create spectacle and that gets our attention. In that sense, he's probably more effective in getting his message out there than a more traditional community 'representative' would ever be.

No comments:

Post a Comment