Going Viral

 Going Viral: When It Twists and Turns

Social media is an amazing tool. It allows more people to become informed more quickly. In fact sometimes it’s so rapid fire that our message reaches thousands and thousands of people in only a short time.

Having a message go viral is a dream almost all public relations firms seek on behalf of their clients.  Unless the outcome is too bizarre.

And, as we all know, the consequences aren’t always good.

What do we mean by that? Here are some examples:

Kangaroo ‘Mourning’ His Mate.

 A touching viral image blasted the social media world producing tears and more. Until people realized that the male kangaroo cradling his mate’s head in his arms was not a public display of family grief.

The mate was not being mourned.

Turns out, according to Dr. Derek Spielman, Univeristy of Sydney veterinary pathologist, the male kangaroo wasn’t “mourning” his dying mate. He was trying to have sex with her.

Male kangaroos like to hold their mates in a way that we looks protective to us even though it is highly stressful for the female. Ironically it’s possible that his hug is what killed her.

The Dress for Wedding Blues.

A mother bought a dress for her daughter’s wedding and no one in the family could agree upon the color. Some thought it was blue and black, others thought, according to the posted picture that it was white and gold.
For some reason, the controversy over its color sparked massive response. So much so that BuzzFeed (which had picked up the post) had to bring in extra staff just to keep their servers from crashing. The flurry among millions of comments, likes and shares, according to Twitter, made it one of the most influential events of 2015.
Interestingly, the confusion – the dress did come in different colors– only added to family stress that pushed some family members away from each other for a while after the mother was flown from England to Los Angeles where she was to appear on the Ellen DeGeneres show. By the way, the show host then offered the bride and her groom a honeymoon sequel and a briefcase filled with cash.
So the next time you post something on any social media platform, make sure it’s accurate and make sure the people who are involved want the attention they are likely to receive.
Related Information:
Kangaroo Mourning  
Survive A Scandal