Viral

Overview

Going viral means a post on social media spreading explosively in a short time through shares and reposts between users. The word comes from the way content passes from person to person, just as a virus spreads from person to person. In Japan there is the expression bazuru (to blow up online), used like "a post that blew up" or "I want to blow up." Bazuru comes from the English word buzz (the humming of bees, or a murmur of chatter), and it describes a topic spreading.

How a post goes viral

Going viral may look like luck, but content that spreads has some patterns in common. Content that strongly stirs emotions (surprise, being moved, anger, laughter) tends to get shared. "Unexpectedness" is a particularly strong trigger: information that overturns common sense or a twist no one saw coming leads to an urge to tell someone.

Social media algorithms also play a part in going viral. Some platforms have a system that shows a post more widely when it collects a lot of engagement (likes, shares, comments) in a short time. Because of this positive feedback loop, a post that gets off to a strong start may snowball as it spreads.

When a Q&A from a question box goes viral

A Q&A from a question box has some overlap with the conditions for viral content. The combination of a bold question that can only be asked because it's anonymous and a frank answer to it can create both "unexpectedness" and "relatability" at the same time. The surprise of "Someone actually asks this?" and the relatability of "I wanted to ask that too" become reasons to share.

Examples of Q&As from a question box that go viral include "questions that ask for someone's honest feelings about love," "questions that draw out behind-the-scenes stories from work," and "answers that show off deep knowledge of a hobby." What they have in common is a moment when things people normally can't ask or can't say come out into the open thanks to anonymity, and that sparks the curiosity of the people watching.

The upsides and downsides of going viral

Going viral helps you gain followers and makes your account better known, but it also comes with risks. A post that goes viral is seen by a large number of strangers, so criticism that ignores the context and malicious quote reposts are likely to appear. When an answer from a question box goes viral, there are cases where just part of the answer is cut out of context and leads to backlash.

We don't recommend giving extreme answers to try to go viral. You may get attention for a while, but if you lose your followers' trust, it may work against you in the long run. Answering naturally and honestly, and counting yourself lucky if it happens to go viral, is the attitude that suits running an account over the long term. It's healthy to see going viral not as a goal but as a by-product of good content.