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A seemingly endless stream of content—articles, photos, Instagram Reels, TikToks—floods our phones every day.

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A seemingly endless stream of content—articles, photos, Instagram Reels, TikToks—floods our phones every day.

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 When your grandparents and even your parents were kids, people relied on newspapers, TV shows, magazines, or word of mouth to hear about things.

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 When your grandparents and even your parents were kids, people relied on newspapers, TV shows, magazines, or word of mouth to hear about things.

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But, as it turns out, certain things are more likely to go viral than others.

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But, as it turns out, certain things are more likely to go viral than others.

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 By Sunday, it had more than 10,000 views. By Wednesday, it had 4 million. Soon, it was everywhere.

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 By Sunday, it had more than 10,000 views. By Wednesday, it had 4 million. Soon, it was everywhere.

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In this way, algorithms essentially control what we all see on social media.

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In this way, algorithms essentially control what we all see on social media.

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One of the first viral videos was “David After Dentist,” in 2009

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One of the first viral videos was “David After Dentist,” in 2009

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By the early 2000s, social media had arrived, and content spread even faster. One of the first viral videos was "David After Dentist," in 2009.

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By the early 2000s, social media had arrived, and content spread even faster. One of the first viral videos was "David After Dentist," in 2009.

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 Still, most posts don’t get much attention

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 Still, most posts don’t get much attention

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When your grandparents and even your parents were kids, people relied on newspapers, TV shows, magazines, or word of mouth to hear about things.

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When your grandparents and even your parents were kids, people relied on newspapers, TV shows, magazines, or word of mouth to hear about things.

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When something “goes viral,” it spreads to an enormous number of people online at lightning speed.

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When something “goes viral,” it spreads to an enormous number of people online at lightning speed.

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By Wednesday, it had 4 million. Soon, it was everywhere

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By Wednesday, it had 4 million. Soon, it was everywhere

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This explains why viral videos often make us laugh, smile, or gush with love.

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This explains why viral videos often make us laugh, smile, or gush with love.

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 All of them have been viewed millions of times—some of them, hundreds of millions.

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 All of them have been viewed millions of times—some of them, hundreds of millions.

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On many platforms, content made by a person with a large following is pushed to the top of feeds.

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On many platforms, content made by a person with a large following is pushed to the top of feeds.

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In other words, perhaps in the end what really matters isn't going viral at all.

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In other words, perhaps in the end what really matters isn't going viral at all.

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Today, going viral is not only possible, it’s also common. 

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Today, going viral is not only possible, it’s also common. 

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But, as it turns out, certain things are more likely to go viral than others.

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But, as it turns out, certain things are more likely to go viral than others.

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If you often interact with cat videos, the algorithm  is going to fill your "For You" page with cat videos.

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If you often interact with cat videos, the algorithm  is going to fill your "For You" page with cat videos.