Web Log

Compiled by MARIE BORAN

'Harlem Shake' fatigue

The “Harlem Shake” YouTube phenomenon has become so popular that internet hipsters have already labelled it “so last month” and moved on. For those who don’t know what this is, it is the latest internet meme showing one spasmodically dancing person before suddenly cutting to a bunch of people joining in.

It’s so mainstream Jamie Oliver has one and now some Australian miners have been fired for theirs. Apparently about 4,000 Harlem Shake versions are uploaded to YouTube on a daily basis. Anyway here’s another straw that broke the interweb’s back.

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The theory of going viral

Sometimes it seems like only the dumbest stuff becomes incredibly popular online but there is apparently a science to successful viral content.

A study from the University of Pennsylvania examined the most shared stories on the New York Times website and found “a strong relationship between emotion and virality”.

Articles that elected positive emotions were more viral than ones associated with negativity; so funny or awe-inspiring content travels well.

Also, stories that make people angry were far more likely to be shared than those that make us sad.

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Kayla jumps for the moon

I have another viral video for you. It’s the anti-Harlem Shake: a cute video of a toddler trying to jump up and touch the moon. This little girl Kayla isn’t letting scale or distance stop her. She stares up at the moon, pointing excitedly.

Off-camera her dad watches and asks if she thinks she could touch the moon by jumping up to reach it. Cue adorable footage of Kayla trying her best to catch the moon and looking confused when it doesn’t work. She’s still got more perspective than most of those awful Harlem Shake versions.

youtube.com/watch?v=Edl7ZgsiK_M