Have you seen this: a documentary mixed-methods exploration into social media virality

Abstract

This study aimed to explore whether young adults use the motivations described in uses and gratifications theory to decide whether to engage with viral media. Participants responded to questions involving social media behaviors, media credibility, and perceptions of social media virality. They were then exposed to one of two clips involving people who have positive and negative experiences with social media virality. After exposure, respondents completed additional questions to gauge any changes in perceptions of social media virality. This research revealed that respondents agreed with some statements involving the selected uses and gratifications motivations. This study also revealed that respondents who saw the positive viral experience video agreed more with some beliefs about social media virality in comparison to the respondents who saw the negative video.