ABSTRACT
After you read about memes, we hope you have been inspired to understand how something such as an image can provide meaning and influence a culture. A meme incites a reaction owing to our culture being a visual language that wants to tell stories and send messages through pictures. What makes memes work is that the online world offers a space for users to create and remix a story and share these images with others in their online community. You now have a comprehension of the difference between memes and virals. An understanding of how a piece of content goes viral is an important part of understanding how digital media work through their strong reach, along with our culture of wanting to find videos that we can laugh at, while major companies are looking for the next big hit. After reading this chapter, not only do you have knowledge of the history of virals, you also know what makes a video go viral, through sharing, the backing of major corporations, and trends that relate to popular culture. Through the case studies showcased in the chapter, you too can create a meme or video that can become viral by being spread through the web.
