7 Steps To A Social Media Storm

How do you know when a news item is of social importance?

Have you ever noticed what happens when an interesting news story breaks? Tomorrow's *chip paper stories still have a life span even though they are of mediocre interest. Here is my version of the seven steps to creating a social media trend.

1. People attempt to be the first to (re)share the 'breaking news' update in their own social network, cross-posting a short update on all their main channels, sometimes even leaving out the official link.

2. Wikipedia entries are hurriedly updated with information changing rapidly as further details are released.

3. Buzzfeed create a real article as opposed to a comedy listical.

4. Bloggers blog about it. Vloggers vlog about it. Clickbait titles with non-related content are published with the hope that website statistics will increase (albeit for a short period of time).

5. Professional social commentators attempt to predict who/what else will be next in relation to the news item.

6. Daytime lifestyle and discussion programmes generate a social interest feature based around a tenuous link with someone who has experienced similar. Evening news programmes attempt the same. All are accompanied with encouragement to become amateur social commentators on a social media platform of choice using a specific (trending or new) hashtag.

7. More blogs and vlogs appear and discussions happen across social media platforms and then this happens...

...which continues until the next 'breaking news' item.

Which stage do you normally come in at? Have I missed any steps out?


*does anyone know what the digital version of that phrase is?