Question #3

Find 3 videos on YouTube that are under 10,000 views that you think will "go viral" in the next week and explain why you think so.

Kelsey Grammer on Right



Originally uploaded to YouTube on March 29th, this video laid dormant until Gawker picked it up on the afternoon of April 18th, nearly quadrupling the number of views in the first few hours – and that was on a Sunday. But I believe this clip has the potential to score many, many more views.

As an established trendsetting site, Gawker is known for breaking news. Based on my own experience working in the online publishing industry, I recognize that readership is typically at its highest on Mondays, as people are anxious to catch up on the news they missed over the weekend. If this can get highlighted on a higher traffic day on a similar site, the potential for more views is huge.

In addition to the opportunistic time of publishing, any controversial content in the video will also likely contribute to rapid dissemination. And while it’s common knowledge that Fox News doesn’t live up to its “fair and balanced” motto, never before has a cable channel attempted to advance a political agenda that so blatantly leans toward one side of the political spectrum. Liberals will be enraged, conservatives will be energized, and political blogs, both red and blue, will undoubtedly weigh in on the new network.

This particular video is also short, snappy, and has a message that many Americans feel is not being heard. Politics, boiled down into a soundbite, delivered by a celebrity: sounds viral to me.

Especially when compared to the slick media campaigns of the Obama administration and that of MoveOn.org, this new video represents a significant change in how the right is engaging with its advocates.


Saturday Night Live's Insane Clown Posse Parody



Last week, the Internet was abuzz with Insane Clown Posses’ strangely sentimental new music video, “Miracles.” The video was almost too ridiculous to need a parody, but Saturday night's edition of SNL keenly poked fun at the band’s bewildering video.

While it’s not uncommon for SNL sketches to gain hundreds of thousands of views in the wake of the weekly show, this particular parody most likely didn’t resonate with the majority of viewers watching the live broadcast - because they probably hadn't seen the original. But, when the SNL sketch is placed next to the original video online, the parody becomes a meme and takes on an entirely new meaning.

Despite the parody’s mass appeal when juxtaposed against the original, due to barriers brought on by contractual agreements between major media networks, it’s unlikely that the YouTube version will garner many views. Just in the time it took me to write these paragraphs, the link I intended on supplying was taken down due to infringement.

Yet, just because the video doesn’t get many hits on YouTube, doesn’t mean the video won’t go viral, as most users are platform agnostic and show little preference for where videos are originally seeded.


Broken Fingaz - Stop Motion Graffiti



While there is certainly no shortage of interesting stop-motion clips circulating around the web, this particular example rises above the rest due to the unique and fluid collaboration between artist, musician, and filmmaker. Immediately after clicking the video, the viewer is immersed in vibrant colors, funky beats and needs only wait 8 seconds to realize something much bigger is about to happen.

Following the massive popularity of a similar graffiti inspired stop-motion film by BLU, it seems entirely plausible that this video will also captivate the imagination of the Internet. Additionally, the video is easily digestible (just under two minutes) and ends on an energetic note, leaving the viewer visually stimulated and anxious to share the feeling.