Why videos go viral

(CBS) - Forty-eight hours of video are uploaded on YouTube every minute. It seems like an impossible number, and it is evidence of just how much content goes online every day. With all those hours and hours of video, how does anything ever become "viral?" YouTube's trends manager, Kevin Allocca, has the answer. In this talk from a TEDYouth conference, Allocca explains just how certain videos can become viral phenomena.

The main points of what make Internet videos popular are not new. Novelty, unexpectedness, humor. These things have always been popular, but Allocca makes the point that the ability to participate in a viral video - either through sharing with friends, commenting on posts, or even making tribute videos - is what defines the medium. We didn't just dislike Rebecca Black's "Friday" video, we disliked it so much we had to share it. That's the sure sign of a hit.

Allocca also runs YouTube's trends blog (where The Feed has a weekly column.) Check out more informational and entertaining articles about the Internet HERE.