For my final paper, I will be analyzing a video recording the death of Neda Agha-Soltan in Tehran, Iran. Neda, a 29-year-old Iranian woman, was shot on the streets in Tehran during the 2009 Iranian election protests. Her death drew national attention as the video went viral over the Internet and via social media outlets. The shooting and her death was caught on a cell-phone video camera and then rebroadcast over the Internet. Neda's death became representative of the struggles of Iranian protesters against the disputed election of Iranian president Ahmadinejad and protesters in general in the Arab world. 

The methodological approach I will take is two-fold. I will take is a media approach as well as a historical approach in analyzing the video. The video got millions of views on YouTube and was spread over Twitter and Facebook immediately after the event. Specifically, I would like to use the Audience Response Theory to analyze the demographic of the people who viewed the video, why they viewed it and whether or not they shared it and why. Did the fact that the video contained graphic content further inspire people to view it?

In terms of a political methodological view, I would like to look at the uprising and revolution that has been born out of this video and how it fits into the historical context of discomfort and unhappiness in the Arab world that is still present today. 

Lazy Sunday was the second ever SNL digital short and is known as one of the original viral videos, if not the original YouTube viral video. It is often credited as the reason for YouTube's original success and even referred to by some as the reason why Google bought YouTube. After the video hit YouTube, YouTube's market share of US visits nearly doubled in a week. Along with this, Lazy Sunday marked the beginning of SNL's transformation from only pure sketch comedy to viral SNL digital shorts and The Lonely Island. This can even be connected to the beginning of mass popularity in short viral comedic videos and humorous joke music videos.

Aptly stated by the Women and Memory Forum, "Narratives of the Arab Spring are not uniform: they range from idealistic celebration to dark pessimism." I would like to better understand the underlying significance of such a comment: what are these narratives? What really went viral? By examining contemporary literature, Google Analytics, trending terms, Instagram and Twitter, I would like to examine the concepts, images and videos that went viral during the recent political revolutions across the Arab World.

For my final paper, I plan to examine the viral phenomenon of the novel Fifty Shades of Grey by British author E.L. James. The first book in the trilogy was released in May 2011, with the second book Fifty Shades Darker released in September 2011 and the third book Fifty Shades Freed released in January 2012.[1] By the last book’s release, the book series had been dubbed a successful example of viral marketing, as over 70 million copies of the book have been sold worldwide, including the book rights having been sold in 37 countries.[2] In fact, the Fifty Shades of Grey series is the fastest selling paperback of all time, exceeding the Harry Potter series.[3]

This gripping and powerful spoken word poem shows the effects and dire consequences of childhood bullying. Often a dark and hidden world tucked away in schools, this video brings to light these stories and compels people into action. At the same time, it fights the stigma against mental illnesses and seeks to show the world that they are not that uncommon or strange.

This viral phenomenon can be analyzed through the lens of social science and literature to see the dynamic between social movements, psychology, and the reasons people had to share this video.

 These memes are creating humor about Kim Jung Un and North Korea.  There are multiple memes out there, but I will probably focus on those that make fun of North Korea's technology and Kim Jung Un's weight (the cake memes).  I will be writing my paper about these memes and what they say about how the internet (and the United States) view North Korea.  It's an interesting paradox that we, on the one hand, make fun of the Korean leader and his country, but on the other, are in a heightened state of alertness because of the national security threats North Korea may pose. 

 I chose to analyze Bed Intruder Song for my final project because I think there is a lot to be said about the intersection of viral phenomena and social politics (race/gender/etc). Also the popularity of this video and the song on iTunes raised enough money to help this family move into a new, safer neighborhood, so it is an interesting example of a viral video being used for social justice/a cause.

 Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty recently released a new video: "Dove's Real Beauty Sketches." Centered on the idea that only 4% of women worldwide consider themselves beautiful, this video (and on a larger scale, campaign) aims to help women realize their own true beauty. 

It's been very successful in the 40-or-so hours since it's release, with a fast-growing number of views and significant Facebook and Twitter presence. 

While these videos might be considered extremely successful in terms of virality, I'm forced to consider how successful they might be at making actual societal change and fulfilling their overarching purpose. 

 In January 2012, Rosines Chavez, Hugo Chavez's 14-year-old daughter, posted a photo on Instagram of herself fanning out U.S. dollars in front of her face. The photo was highly controversial in Venezuela as Hugo Chavez and the Venezuelan government had put a major restriction on the amount of U.S. dollars Venezuelan citizens could purchase. Out of this controversy, Venezuelans began posting parody images of themselves holding household items in large quantities in front of their faces. The reaction photos became so popular that a Twitter hashtag #Rosinesing started. This viral narrative documents the social discontent of the general Venezuelan population to the government, its hypocrisy, and the limited access to the benefits of the lifestyles in the capitalist world. The craze only lasted a little over a month until its viral following died down as shown by its viral profile presented here: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/rosinesing 

Tangled, Disney's 3D take on Rapunzel, was Disney's first attempt at creating a viral campaign to advertize its movie. However, the "viral" video narratives that Disney uploaded to its YouTube Channel do not have many views. Why is this?

The videos are good quality, humorous, and give glimpses into the story of the movie. In addition, the movie itself was well received regardless of the campaign itself.