Viral
adjective
of the nature of, caused by, or relating to a virus or viruses.
relating to or involving an image, video, piece of information, etc., that is circulated rapidly and widely from one internet user to another.
"a viral video ad"
noun
an image, video, advertisement, etc., that is circulated rapidly on the internet.
"the rise of virals in online marketing"
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that no matter what anybody tells you, "going viral” is not something you can just say you’re going to do, and simply execute on social media. In fact, by definition going viral is something that happens unexpectedly.
I can however, tell you for sure that there is one absolutely certain way to go viral on social media today. Are you ready? Here it is, the one and only way to guarantee that you GO VIRAL:
Spend a fuck ton of money.
That’s it. That’s the fucking method. Go buy some ads, buy some followers, and go throw some money at writers, designers, and even some marketing folks who will most likelt tell you to spend some more money on even more services.
If that’s really what you came here for via the clickbait bullshit title I lured you here with, read no further. The rest of this is for folks who know I’m here to share some real talk. Hype, clout, and all the money-first stuff folks are seeking is not invalid, it’s just not what this newsletter is about.
There is a reason I didn’t title this article “How to Go Viral on Social Media.” It’s because that’s not what this article is going to be about. I want to talk about a more esoteric approach to the concept of going viral. The core definition of virality is concerned with how viruses proliferate.
There are plenty of discussions and views out there about how humans are a virus, or how the things we create can be considered parasitic in nature. Our civilization spreads like a virus; massive urban topographies of concrete and steel sprawling out over what was once open spaces inhabited by organic growth that we repurposed for our need to keep spreading the fuck out. We consume everything in our paths.
Our idea of space is even one that we can’t approach without talking about how we’re going to spread out onto other planets, into the stars, out into the cosmos. Hell, the entire point of getting off this planet is because we have reached max consumption of what it has to offer; our host is revolting and saying ‘GTFO’ with extreme climate events more and more every year.
And then there is something intangible that we are quite good at doing, which is planting ideas in other people’s minds. One of the most powerful, dangerous, and prolific things we can do as humans, is effectively propagate a single thought by convincing others that it has value.
Whether you’re thinking of The Wolf of Wall Street where Jordan Belfort (played by Leo DiMemeFodder) tells Brad Bodnick to convince him he needs to buy a pen, or something more grandiose like political movements starting with a simple manifesto, you’re thinking about the same thing I’m talking about here. All it takes is framing an idea in a way that is appealing to others.
Now as an artist, this is a realm that I inhabit on a fairly regular basis. I make art. I need to sell the art. I need to convince others that my art is consumable. In the case of my suspension work, I am concerned with communicating something that is way more complex than “I need this in my life.” I am presenting fear, uncertainty, and doubt as modes of catharsis. In fact, my goal is to convey a juxtaposition of discomfort and calmness in a way that makes people stop and think that what society has been telling them is totally fucked and wrong.
You don’t need to buy that pen you dingus. You don’t even need to agree with one of the two options you are presented with as a political perspective. You can do whatever the fuck you want to do, believe whatever the fuck you want to believe, and furthermore: you can create and support whatever the fuck you want to support, because you believe it brings you value on a personal level.
But I digress on the suspension point, because it is rather niche, and the message is highly personal. There is great value in engaging with easier to consume art and music, especially because we can’t just process and fight traumas and stressors 24/7. We would burn out. There needs to be moments of zen and calm that are not complicated, so we can enjoy life a bit.
And so, I think there is something invaluable about a thought that a large group can resonate with. Relatable content ensures we all have a shared experience, and do not feel alone on our personal journeys. When the “content,” or thought is something that has the power to improve the quality of life for many people at once, it has the potential to go viral.
This is what I want to do with my project Iterative as well. Yes it’s a crypto art project, and yes it is ultimately about us being able to make some money. But what I want to achieve with it on a personal level, is create a movement that is concerned with human curiosity, art, and technology. I like money, but I don’t really know how to do anything that does not give my life some meaning along the way.
Some projects gatekeep code - I don’t want to do this. I want to open source everything we’re doing. On mint, everybody will receive their own iteration(s) with the code entirely accessible. I wrote everything by hand, and hand-picked acceptable iterations. If people want to take their code blobs and hack em up into something else, fuck yeah! That kicks ass.
Some projects want to fuck around with weird licensing with the visual art - I don’t want to do this. I’m entirely on that cc0 No Copyright tip with this project. If you’re not into code, but you love the visual aspect of this project, and want to go make some derivaties with it, animate it in different ways, or stuff I can’t even think of, DO IT. Fuck yeah! That kicks ass.
Some projects want to focus on floor price and royalties and all that bullshit - I don’t want to do this. Holders can decide what happens. You want to list it on some obscure marketplace that effectively fucks royalties for the project? Be my guest. Take profit, and go do you boo! Fuck yeah profit! That kicks ass. (We’ll just be able to do less as a team without royalties down the line).
The bottom line is, I am interested in building a community that shares a common philosophy. A compilation of thoughts, opinions, and views, that while not entirely compatible, create a framework within which we can expand on difficult topics and make them parseable for others. Simply put: I want to build a think tank. I want our shared paradigm to go viral. I want people to want IN on what we’re doing because we’re having a mf’ing blast over here.
Let’s blow folks out of the water with our art, our ideas, and our desire to build something meaningful in this life. Folks will disappear when the money dips, but those who stick around, are still here because they are doing something meaningful. Nobody wants to lead a meaningless existence.
Let’s go viral.
NOTE:
As of today, Twitter is blocking tweet embeds on Substack. Tell me again how Twitter is serving any of us? Fuck Elon.
Read about it on this Verge article
I foresee a big exodus from Twitter in the next couple of years. Stoked for Substack’s Notes! Check it out: