As a marketer, Digital Marketing Manager, or social media consumer, you most likely have a preconceived notion of what “going viral” entails.

While the definition of “going viral” is straightforward, determining the criterion or benchmark for when something has truly “gone viral” is more complex. There are some divisive variables to consider, including the number of views/shares/links, the number of unique users reached, the pace at which the content is consumed, and its lifespan.

Some video data analysts question the 100,000-view threshold, citing that 53 per cent of YouTube videos have less than 500 views, with less than 1% getting more than 1 million views. On the other hand, some critics argue that what matters is not the number of views or shares a piece of content receives but rather the pace at which the content is consumed. It may still be called “viral” if it gets 40,000 hits in 4 hours but then fades.

The bottom line is that the criterion for material to be considered “viral” is subjective. Regardless, in this day and age, we can tell when something has “gone viral.”