Going Viral

The viral story that just won’t die. In this era of nonstop news, it feels like there’s a major news story everyday, but what of the stories that continue on and on and on and on? They are beyond so-called “evergreen”, or the kind “that have legs”. They are the stories that we wake up and go to bed thinking about, like a new lover, you can’t wait to see. I once worked at a major news network as a viral social media and entertainment news reporter, because let’s face it, when a story goes viral, it’s got entertainment value, am I right? The salacious details, the scandalous analysis… we can’t wait to share it. But who creates that narrative? We all have a part in it. The way a story brings out our emotions, and motivates us to tell a friend, or family member, and then they do the same. Maybe major media covers it, and maybe not. But mostly it’s a blast on social media which is aimed at our emotions and reels us in. A story can cause people to talk about it amongst themselves, and feel smarter, because they know what’s happening culturally. Take the Texas Flood story, this story is simply said – heart-wrenching. It is everything anyone who wants to know what’s happening in the world will know. This story reaches wide due to its shear human interest value. People across generations know about this story and may even know someone touched by it. It’s a story that we will be talking about for years to come; and one that will continue to unfold and be felt for generations because it tears at our hearts. And there are the stories that have nothing to do with emotion, but also go on and on and on and on, like The Dress, do you remember? I do. Was it black or was it blue? That was ten years ago and many people still remember it vividly. That's the power of news. ⏻ Get full access to Remote News - The Weekly Earful at lesleylotto.substack.com/subscribe