Viral Phenomenon

Viral phenomenon is an object or pattern that is able to replicate itself  or convert other objects into copies of itself when these objects are exposed to itself.  Analogous to the way in which viruses propagate, the term viral pertains to a video, image, or written content spreading to numerous online users within a short time period. This concept has become a common way to describe how thoughts, information, and trends move into and through a human population. The popularity of viral media has been fueled by the rapid rise of social network sites, where in audiences—who are metaphorically described as experiencing "infection" and "contamination"—play as passive carriers rather than an active role to 'spread' content, making such content "go viral". The term viral media differs from spreadable media as the latter refers to the potential of content to become viral.