With the rise of social media in the 2010s, viral videos became a
widespread part of cultural expression. People use YouTube to
express their creativity in comedy, art, dance, music and more. One
of the first viral videos on YouTube in their first year was Evolution
of Dance, uploaded by Judson Laipply in April 2006, it has 309
million views and 1.6 million engagements where Judson danced to
several songs in a comedic style. You may also recall some other viral
videos like Chocolate Rain, an original Song by Tay Zonday. It was
uploaded in April 2007, it has 130 million views and 1.7 million
engagements (Jarboe, 2021).
Furthermore, the rise of TikTok opened a whole new world of
cultural expression through dancing. Although TikTok is widely
known for being “the dancing app,” it's also been the heart of
challenge videos—many good, and some not-so-good. Specifically, I
recall the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which has taken place on several
social media sites including YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and
Instagram. In August 2014, three young men living with ALS inspired
their communities, celebrities, and the world to dump buckets of ice
water on their heads to fight the disease. More than $220 million
was donated to ALS charities worldwide. The impact has impacted
wellness by bringing awareness and research to the world to help
ALS investigators work together.
All of this stay, lots of good can come from cultural expression. While
people may not have the financial needs to help bring awareness to
an issue like ALS, they can contribute to viral trends to bring
awareness. Researchers spend a lot of time debating whether
any altruistic act is ever truly selfless because we benefit so much
when we are kind to others. We feel so good when we give because
we get what researchers call a “helpers high,” or a distinct physical
sensation associated with helping (Carter, 2010). This directly affects
our wellness along with others. Helping others and bringing joy
through something we love helps reduce symptoms of depression,
and lowered anxiety. Experiments have actually demonstrated again
and again that kindness toward others actually causes us to be
happier, improves our health, and lengthens our lives (Carter, 2010).
References:
Jarboe, G. (2021, July 16). Top 40 Viral Videos of All Time. Search
Engine Journal. Retrieved July 18, 2022, from
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/top-viral-videos-all-time/302
343/#close
Carter, C. (2010, February 19). What We Get When We Give.
Psychology Today. Retrieved July 18, 2022, from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/raising-happiness/2010
02/what-we-get-when-we-give
