Do viral moments even exist anymore?

When you think about anything “viral” these days - it doesn’t quite compare to the type of virality experienced in the earlier days of the internet.

And NO, I’m not an old head. And YES, I'm aware things evolve and change as the landscape does, okay? That much is obvious, but that’s also exactly the point. Take Gangnam Style. Insane example I know, but hear me out. It was the first YouTube video to hit 1 billion views. A song that didn’t need to be in English to become a freaking global hit (no matter how bad it made me want to smash my head through a wall). A dance trend – worldwide might I add. A cultural export moment for K-pop, launching the genre into households on every corner of the planet.

Now let’s compare that to Hailey Bieber’s glazed donut nails. Pretty, yes. Everyone (and I mean, like, actually, everyone) wore them… for about three months – max. Then? Onto the next.

The difference in these phenomena is not within the numbers. In my mind, it’s cultural resonance.

True virality used to check three boxes:

1. Reach – it crossed platforms and geographic locations.

2. Longevity – it lasted weeks, months, even years.

3. Cultural imprint – it changed the conversation, influenced other media, is referenceable years later, or became shorthand for something bigger.

Most “viral” content today hits maaaybe one of those, and usually just for a niche audience. Even moments like the white and gold dress, or early YouTube content like the Bed Intruder Song, or Charlie Bit My Finger have arguably ten times the cultural power than another “viral chicken pasta recipe.”

Because these things aren’t actually viral at all - the term has been watered down to the point where it’s lost all meaning.

The internet is so fractured, and the amount of content being churned out every day means the lifecycle of each piece has grown shorter and shorter, while social media platforms inflate public metrics and devalue actual impressive stats. There’s no central “water cooler” where everyone gathers. TikTok trends rarely escape TikTok. X memes never make it to Instagram. The lifecycle of content has shrunk from months to days, sometimes even hours.

This is “viralflation”, where everything is labeled viral, but nothing actually is.

For marketers, maybe the takeaway is to stop hunting for The One Big Moment™. Instead, stack micro-moments that resonate deeply inside specific communities. Measure influence, not just views. And if you do want something to “go viral,” design for cultural stickiness. Something people will reference, remix, and reuse long after the initial spike fades. Because in this landscape, true virality isn’t about one wave everyone rides together. It’s about making enough ripples that the right people keep feeling them, long after the feed has moved on.

But how tf do we practically do that?

Good question. And the truth is, there’s no easy solve. We’re working in an unprecedented landscape here. One that moves the goalposts every time we get close to a score.

But, there are ways to try, my friend. Here are some from my little bag of tricks:

1. Design for remixability. Give people a format they can play with: memes, duets, remixes, stitches. Obviously this is nothing new, but the more people can put their own spin on it, the longer it lives.

2. Anchor it to a deeper truth. Gangnam Style represented more than a weird af horse dance: it was proof global pop culture didn’t need to be in English. Tie your content to a cultural or emotional undercurrent that makes it worth remembering.

3. Make it live in multiple places. Don’t leave your moment stranded on one platform. Adapt it for different networks so it can jump silos. Repurposing is your best friend.

4. Leave a breadcrumb for re-use. Create a phrase, image, or soundbite that can be pulled out later as a reference. Stickiness thrives on recognisable shorthand.

5. Tap into subcultures, not “the internet”. The general internet doesn’t exist anymore. Choose a community, learn its language, and make something that feels like theirs.

6. Think in arcs, not one-offs. Plan follow-ups and callbacks so the moment has a second and third life instead of dying in a week.

7. Slow down the burn. Instead of blasting it everywhere at once, let it migrate between niches. Each new audience extends the life cycle.

Virality is still a thing (hello, Jet2 Holiday) – but now it's smaller, faster, and more fragmented. You have to know the difference: we’re not aiming for the next Gangnam Style anymore. We’re making enough well-placed ripples that the right people keep feeling them, even in an everchanging feed. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer