The Banality of Virality

In a day and age where going viral no longer gets you on Ellen, what is the true value of virality? Andy Warhol famously predicted in 1968 that “in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” 55 years later, with TikTok trends having a shelf life shorter than ever and the spotlight constantly shifting from one hot creator to the next, it seems that fame now lasts only about 15 seconds. Look around a room of twenty-somethings in NYC, Miami, or LA, and you’ll likely find someone who has gone viral (at least) once on TikTok. But gone are the days where a video garnering millions of views guarantees you a front-row seat at Paris Fashion Week. With the algorithmic forces seemingly working in too many of our favors, one may wonder: In a world where everyone’s viral, perhaps no one truly is.

In a world saturated with content creators, it may feel like everyone and their mothers (literally) have gone viral. And the competition is only getting younger with Gen Alpha growing up to view “influencer” as an attainable career choice. But can tomorrow’s attention economy sustain an entire generation of aspiring creators?

It’s becoming increasingly clear that virality is no longer the “ends in itself” or the final boss of social media success. So now what? Today, the most successful accounts may achieve bouts of virality — but they work even harder to sustain and convert that popularity into something meaningful with their target audience. Tldr; being someone who’s “gone viral” won’t cut it. You need to leverage the halo of viral recognition into more long-lasting modes of engagement.

This is exemplified by Matilda Djerf’s “Djerf Avenue” and the SKIMS “Nipple Bra”, which have translated a series of viral wins into enduring businesses. By harnessing their viral fame, they’ve transcended the ephemeral nature of social media stardom, establishing a more permanent presence.

In a world where the Internet monoculture is dead (or perhaps resetting), winning on social means more than landing on the FYP of millions. So yodeling at Walmart or saying “Damn Daniel” may not get you on Ellen anymore. But that’s okay — the show has moved on.