###1. It Starts as a Good Idea
“The internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom.” — Jon Stewart
• A running joke (Cats, Chuck Norris, Nickelback)
• Something that will cause arguments/discussions (The Dress, Benghazi, Rob Bell)
• A story that’s emotionally resonant (Joseph Kony, a deaf woman hearing for the first time, a John Oliver rant)
###2. It Gets Seen
“Everyone’s an influencer.” — Yahoo Labs
• It gets voted up on Reddit (It makes it to ‘the front page of the Internet’)
• People start sharing it (It becomes a trending topic on social media sites like Twitter)
• It becomes the subject of debate (Everyone on Facebook has an opinion about it)
###3. It Gets Picked Up
“Content is king, but distribution is queen.” — Jonathan Perelman, BuzzFeed VP
• Sites like Mashable and Uproxx carry the story
• Traditional media outlets mention it
###4. It Makes an Impact
“Change is the result of insurmountable market pressure.” — Ted Coiné, author
• Many viral trends have transcended their online presence and made real social impact.
