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Viral Moment

Viral moment is a single event, clip or image that spreads quickly from person to person online, far beyond the audience that first saw it. The word “viral” comes from an analogy with infectious disease: viral content grows through person-to-person diffusion [1], and viral phenomena are patterns that replicate themselves when other people are exposed to them [2]. In sports media, it is often a play or a reaction.

Key points

  • A viral moment is defined by its spread, not by its size alone: it travels from person to person like an infection [1].
  • Content that stirs high-arousal emotions such as awe, anger or anxiety is more likely to go viral [3].
  • Positive content tends to spread more than negative content, and sadness spreads less [3].
  • Most online popularity comes from one large broadcast rather than long chains of sharing [1].

Origin

The idea of “viral” media comes from biology. Media theorist Douglas Rushkoff is credited with coining the terms media virus and viral media, which he defines in these words: “People are duped into passing a hidden agenda while circulating compelling content” [2]. In 2012 Jonah Berger and Katherine Milkman analysed all New York Times articles published over a three-month period and linked virality to emotion and physiological arousal [3]. In 2016 Sharad Goel and colleagues measured “structural virality” on a data set of a billion diffusion events on Twitter [1].

How it works in sports media

A viral moment needs a trigger that people want to pass on. Berger and Milkman found that awe, anger and anxiety make content more viral, while low-arousal emotions such as sadness make it less viral. These results held even when they controlled for how surprising, interesting or useful the content was [3]. A last-second shot, a fierce confrontation or a surprising celebration are sports versions of these high-arousal triggers.

Spread is often more of a broadcast than a chain. Goel and colleagues found that online diffusion mixes broadcast and viral mechanisms and that popularity is largely driven by the size of the largest broadcast [1]. In sport, this means a clip is usually carried by a few big accounts, such as leagues, broadcasters and star athletes, rather than by thousands of small shares alone. See sports highlights and fan engagement.

Examples

Play of Values follows how single moments build an athlete’s profile. The Year of Caitlin Clark article and the 2024 Sports Wrap look at moments that carried athletes and leagues into wider public attention.

Common questions

What is a viral moment?

It is a moment that is shared from person to person until it reaches a far larger audience than the original viewers [1][2].

Why do some moments go viral and others do not?

Emotion matters. Content that evokes awe, anger or anxiety is more viral than content that evokes sadness [3].

Is a viral moment the same as hype?

No. A viral moment is a spike of sharing around one event, while hype is the longer build-up of excitement around a person or event. A viral moment can feed hype.

Related terms

Read more on Play of Values

Sources

  1. Goel, S., Anderson, A., Hofman, J., & Watts, D. J. (2016). The structural virality of online diffusion. Management Science, 62(1), 180–196. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2015.2158
  2. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Viral phenomenon. Wikimedia Foundation. Link
  3. Berger, J., & Milkman, K. L. (2012). What makes online content viral? Journal of Marketing Research, 49(2), 192–205. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.10.0353

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