Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
I was planning on writing about one viral phenomenon this morning when another one caught my eye. I’ll start with the second one (Marilyn Hagerty) and then loop back to the first (a time-lapse YouTube video of pregnancy).
Maybe you’ve heard, Marilyn Hagerty is an 85-year-old restaurant reviewer and columnist for the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota. Last week, she reviewed a local Olive Garden that had just opened and the piece went–there’s no other way to put it–viral: it was shared nearly 15,000 times on Twitter and 26,000 times on Facebook. It became the most popular story the newspaper had published–ever. According to an abc.com story from Friday, the piece received over 200,000 views online. That was two days after it was published on March 7. Now, we’re nearly a week after it’s publication, and the buzz surrounding her review continues.
So what happened? Basically, Hagerty wrote a simple and sincere review of a new chain restaurant in her community, and the internet jabberers from Gawker, the Village Voice, et al., practically convulsed in delighted mockery, shocked that anyone could write an earnest, unironic review of a place like the Olive Garden. (I can’t help but think here of Charles Murray and the quiz from his new book Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010, which is meant to determine if you’re living in a class bubble. One of the questions on the online version of the quiz is “Have you eaten at an Applebee’s, TGI Friday’s, or Outback Steakhouse in the past year?”–the point being, if you haven’t dined at one of those joints, you are very probably a member of the sheltered upper-class, as many of our sires in the blogosphere are. He might as well have added Olive Garden to his list of mainstream, American restaurants.)
Let’s start with a brief excerpt of Hagerty’s review, just so we know what we’re talking about here–which would be, a real person in a real community writing for her local audience:
The chicken Alfredo ($10.95) was warm and comforting on a cold day. The portion was generous. My server was ready with Parmesan cheese.
As I ate, I noticed the vases and planters with permanent flower displays on the ledges. There are several dining areas with arched doorways. And there is a fireplace that adds warmth to the decor.
Olive Garden has an attractive bar area to the right of the entryway. The restaurant has a full liquor license and a wine list offering a wide selection to complement Italian meals. Nonalcoholic beverages include coolers, specialty coffees and hot teas.
On a hot summer day, I will try the raspberry lemonade that was recommended.
And here’s a summary of how the internet reacted:
The secret to becoming a famous and successful food journalist is now clear, and it’s so simple: All you have to do is write about the Olive Garden. The most recent breakout foodie star is Marilyn Hagerty (at left), the critic for the Grand Forks Herald, of North Dakota, who just became Internet famous for her glowing treatment of that city’s Olive Garden. The Herald explains why: “Internet sharing is the reason. Popular websites such as Fark, Gawker and Boingboing posted the story, setting off a barrage of comments via Twitter and Facebook.”
It’s becoming a narrative: Gawker or some similar site (but usually Gawker) finds it hilarious that you earnestly wrote about the Olive Garden and gently mocks you. “Hagerty found the $10.95 chicken Alfredo dish to be ‘warm and comforting on a cold day,’ and reports that the servings at Olive Garden are ‘generous.’ She did not, however, opt for the raspberry lemonade,” wrote Emma Carmichael. Soon, everyone forwards your piece along in a fit of amusement of indignation. Then another publication comes along (in this case it’s The Village Voice) and interviews you about how it feels to be famous, establishing the fact that you are, in fact, famous.
In today’s Wall Street Journal, Hagerty’s son–James R. Hagerty–has a piece called “When Mom Goes Viral” that takes a step back:
On Thursday, bloggers happened on her review of the Olive Garden, where she found the portions generous and the décor “impressive.” Some wrote clever notes suggesting there might be some sort of irony in writing an unironic review about a chain restaurant like Olive Garden. Others, including media and news websites Gawker and Huffington Post, chimed in. Soon news hounds from Minneapolis, New York and even Fargo were calling Mom and demanding interviews. Basically, they wanted to know whether she was for real and how she felt about being mocked all over the Internet.
She felt fine about it. But she didn’t care to scroll through the thousands of Twitter and Facebook comments on her writing style. “I’m working on my Sunday column and I’m going to play bridge this afternoon,” she explained, “so I don’t have time to read all this crap.” She didn’t apologize for writing about a restaurant where many people like to eat. Her poise under fire endeared her to people who do read all that. Strangers started sending me emails about how much they loved my mom.
Her phone line was tied up, so I emailed her: “You’ve gone viral!”
She replied: “Could you tell me what viral means?”
I’ve always found the whole concept of something going “viral” fascinating. Why do some random items, like Hagerty’s review or this time-lapse video of a pregnant woman, go viral–really pop–with a mass audience, while other items that are posted online or meant to be real hits just . . . flop? This is an important question because “going viral” defines and sets the agenda for the culture at large. What is pop culture if not a series of things that “go viral”? Given the power of the Internet to affect what’s popular and what’s not, as Hagerty’s story perfectly illustrates, the question of why some things go viral ultimately boils down to what people like. What resonates with them? What inspires them enough to make them hit the “like” button on the article, or the YouTube video, or the film trailer?
Here, below, is the viral item I had initially intended to write about, before I got distracted by Hagerty’s story. It is a YouTube clip that captures, in under two minutes, nine months of pregnancy.
Over two million people have watched “Introducing . . . ” and 15,000 have “liked” it. It’s easy to see why. The short video is simple, beautiful, and evocative, and it’s about a baby, as many of YouTube’s most popular videos are. In a way, it shares a lot in common with the Hagerty phenomenon. Both the video and Hagerty are nothing if not authentic. Just look at the tattoos, the messy apartment, the raw displays of emotion in the pregnancy clip–which couldn’t be more different than another more frivolous depiction of pregnancy in the pop culture, the cover of the most recent issue of US Weekly.
So maybe what people are seeking is something other than the artifice and glitz of the glossy-magazine world of pop culture. Maybe they want something more real, and, with the hit of a “like” button, are creating a new world of pop culture that satisfies that desire.
- Comment (34)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (3)
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
Comments:
Dec '11
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
When I was growing up, the olive garden was where you took your girlfriend for the nice night out. You saved your money to do it too because none of us really had any. Then you had to drive an hour to get there.
I am older now, and my socio-economic situation is completely different. I still remember what it is like to live in a completely different world than I do now. My wife had a friend who looked down on the olive garden, and the poor tasteless people who still consider that their 'nice night' out. I was really offended by the cavalier offhandness, and complete divorce from what everybody else has going on.
There are people for whom the olive garden is the nicest restaurant they can afford within driving distances.
Edited on March 13, 2012 at 4:11pmJun '10
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
People like to have their prejudices confirmed. I'm guilty of it too. I always love a new Janeane Garofalo video, where she'll likely predict that "a nationwide Tea Party Kristallnacht is right around the corner, and the Federalist Papers, that all those violent Tea Partiers read, is just like Mein Kampf."
Aug '11
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
But even snarkiness exists with the pregnancy video . The commentary attached to the video (from the media perspective) was while the video was sweet and interesting, it commented on the poor housekeeping skills of the couple.
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
I loved what Hagerty's editor said about the review -- that longtime readers of hers would understand that her commentary more on the decor than the food meant it was not the most favorable review.
Good old midwestern nice ...
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.: I loved what Hagerty's editor said about the review -- that longtime readers of hers would understand that her commentary more on the decor than the food meant it was not the most favorable review.
Good old midwestern nice ... · 5 minutes ago
I know, I loved this part too!
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
I do not know how to answer your question, Emily. But I can tell you that, if an Olive Garden were to open in Hillsdale, Michigan, we would be ecstatic.
Aug '10
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
I love "Introducing..."
Sep '10
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
Grand Forks is a city of roughly 53,000 people in North Dakota. It vies with Bismarck and Fargo and some other midwestern states each month at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for the lowest unemployment rate in the United States in metropolitan areas. They also have an indoor, domed football stadium for their college football team, and the finest indoor hockey facility in North America for their college hockey team.
In my experience, residents have a preternatural inbuilt radar detector that sniffs out elites and other huffy preeners from the the wrong side of the Mississippi river and usually results in the perpetrators being the butt of inside jokes which pass right over their brie and chardonnay soaked noses.
Its also a source of some amusement that a hick town with an Olive Garden can field an engineering school that has Phd tracks in Chemical Engineering, since we all know that the real source of wealth today is doctorates in Adorno, Alinsky, and Ayers.
And don't forget about the bad weather, man.
Edited on March 13, 2012 at 4:38pmMay '10
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
TGI Friday's is one of my favorite restaurants, and I will admit it to anyone.
When the Hagerty review went up, our older daughter e-mailed me the link and said the review and writing reminded her so much of her late and much-missed grandmother (my mother-in-law). Speaking of what makes something go viral, I wish I knew how to make it happen, since that same daughter is here in this 2 minute Google Science Fair story about Legos used for research.
Aug '10
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
Can she find a way to use Olive Garden in her research? (Nice video, BTW.)
Sep '10
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
I'm sorry to say I only got a 5 on the quiz, though it would have been a 6 if the Olive Garden had been included. Still, a pathetic score. This issue has bothered me for a while, even before taking this quiz.
I'd be interested to hear how others at Ricochet did, particularly those on the coasts. Peter Robinson, Rob Long,....?
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
@Duane, I love TGI Friday's too. The atmosphere, the food, it's just all so fun.
@Paul, I hear you re Olive Garden. There's nothing quite like those buttery breadsticks. What are the main eateries in Hillsdale?
Oct '10
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
Your persistence broke me down, and I watched the video. Cool. I hope you get to spend some quality time in Cambridge!
(Very intrigued by Daniel's accent...)
Thank goodness no one 'knows' what makes things go viral/become part of popular culture. How boring would that be? (Although if a vaccine against Dan Brown could be developed...)
May '10
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
I'm so delighted this did not make it into my FB feed. It gives me faith in my friends.
Jan '11
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
This was a TedTalk topic not too long ago.
Jul '10
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
I'm sure all the Olive Garden sneerers still consider themselves great champions of the Common Man.
Oct '10
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
FWIW, I wrote a Member Feed post with my own comments and examples of a couple of things I hope go viral.
Nov '10
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
When I read the excerpt from the restaurant review, Emily, I was thinking about how sweet and unspoiled the writer sounded. Many of us have become so jaded. I remember my grandpa and great aunt talking about a can of pork and beans being a treat during the Depression, and my great aunt saving up money to buy her own can. Now we have to poke fun at someone describing a chain restaurant with pleasant surroundings and (relatively) expensive meals, because we are so wealthy, have such high standards for food, and are numb how the world really is.
I am guilty of the same kind of snobbery, when I get chain e-mails from kind older people who genuinely like pretty sayings, syrupy stories, puppy pictures, et. al. I have had access to so much entertainment and information, and require much more than puppy pictures with inspirational sayings to be pleased. Then I think how the senders might really appreciate the chain e-mails. They grew up not saturated with entertainment and maybe not with many books, either, and their threshhold for being pleased is much lower than mine. And loving simple things is a virtue, after all.
Aug '11
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
The response to the review strikes me as a inversion of James Lileks' 'Notes From the Olive Garden' fisking of that Guardian writer some ten years ago.
Mar '11
Re: Why Do Some Things Go Viral, Others Not?
drlorentz: I'm sorry to say I only got a 5 on the quiz, though it would have been a 6 if the Olive Garden had been included. Still, a pathetic score. This issue has bothered me for a while, even before taking this quiz.
I'd be interested to hear how others at Ricochet did, particularly those on the coasts. Peter Robinson, Rob Long,....? · 2 hours ago
How Thick Is Your Bubble?