Social media starts revolutions. What other medium can reach millions of people instantly? Companies have the opportunity to reach millions of consumers on a variety of platforms with just a click of a button. With brands like McDonald’s, Samsung, Red Bull, and Starbucks with well over 20 million followers on just Facebook alone, and celebrities like Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, and Kim Kardashian with millions of devoted fans, social media gives brands, and people, the opportunity to help spread awareness and create impactful content that can take off and reach millions almost instantly.
There are many instances when people turn to the Internet and social media to ask help for a cause. For example, Seth Lane, a 5-year-old boy with an immune system disorder, posted a video on YouTube asking people to wear yellow to support him during surgery. The video has over 500,000 views, and now, thousands of people are supporting Seth and are educating themselves about SCID. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4tlTZSGhi-g
Social media is also a place for people to come together about less serious issues, but things that people feel opinionated about, nonetheless. One recent example is that Directioners have taken to social media to mourn Zayn Malik’s departure from One Direction. People across the world have posted rants on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and have filmed videos of their reactions on Vine.
https://vine.co/v/O3ilbbWELPV This vine currently has almost 3 million views and has been retweeted over 2,000 times.
Another, more light-hearted, example of an online social revolution is Alex from Target. A boy who worked at target was spotted by a young girl that thought he was attractive. After tweeting a picture of the boy, the girl’s tweet went viral. People used the hashtag #AlexfromTarget, and created a phenomenon. At the end of a day, he is just a cute guy hwo works at Target, but social media, and a lot of people who were interested in a piece of content, created a revolution that changed a teen guy’s life.
To read more about the #AlexfromTarget revolution, visit http://gawker.com/who-is-alex-from-target-and-why-is-teen-twitter-obsess-1653969291
Lastly, there are some social revolutions that don’t even start online, but because people feel as though they need to share their feelings, opinions, and connect with others online, they turn to social media and create online tidal waves. An example of this was when Beyoncé surprised fans by releasing an album without any notice. People took to social media to express their happiness. The artist’s Instagram post about the album got of 616 thousand likes.
When causes, current events, or really anything that is online gains traction, it can go viral overnight. Going viral means that a specific piece of content, such as a video, is being shared or viewed so rapidly that it gets popular/famous virtually overnight. There isn’t a specific quality that makes something go viral, it just has to be something that people connect with and feel as though it is worth sharing or viewing over and over. Things that go viral create revolutions that affect the creators of the content and the Internet.
There are many instances when people turn to the Internet and social media to ask help for a cause. For example, Seth Lane, a 5-year-old boy with an immune system disorder, posted a video on YouTube asking people to wear yellow to support him during surgery. The video has over 500,000 views, and now, thousands of people are supporting Seth and are educating themselves about SCID. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4tlTZSGhi-g
Social media is also a place for people to come together about less serious issues, but things that people feel opinionated about, nonetheless. One recent example is that Directioners have taken to social media to mourn Zayn Malik’s departure from One Direction. People across the world have posted rants on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and have filmed videos of their reactions on Vine.
https://vine.co/v/O3ilbbWELPV This vine currently has almost 3 million views and has been retweeted over 2,000 times.
Another, more light-hearted, example of an online social revolution is Alex from Target. A boy who worked at target was spotted by a young girl that thought he was attractive. After tweeting a picture of the boy, the girl’s tweet went viral. People used the hashtag #AlexfromTarget, and created a phenomenon. At the end of a day, he is just a cute guy hwo works at Target, but social media, and a lot of people who were interested in a piece of content, created a revolution that changed a teen guy’s life.
To read more about the #AlexfromTarget revolution, visit http://gawker.com/who-is-alex-from-target-and-why-is-teen-twitter-obsess-1653969291
Lastly, there are some social revolutions that don’t even start online, but because people feel as though they need to share their feelings, opinions, and connect with others online, they turn to social media and create online tidal waves. An example of this was when Beyoncé surprised fans by releasing an album without any notice. People took to social media to express their happiness. The artist’s Instagram post about the album got of 616 thousand likes.
When causes, current events, or really anything that is online gains traction, it can go viral overnight. Going viral means that a specific piece of content, such as a video, is being shared or viewed so rapidly that it gets popular/famous virtually overnight. There isn’t a specific quality that makes something go viral, it just has to be something that people connect with and feel as though it is worth sharing or viewing over and over. Things that go viral create revolutions that affect the creators of the content and the Internet.