The Compound and Friends How Things Go Viral (with Barry, Michael, and Derek Thompson)
Jan 3, 2020
Derek Thompson, a staff writer at The Atlantic and author of 'Hit Makers,' joins Barry and Michael to unpack the mystery of virality. He debunks myths around novelty, emphasizing the power of familiar surprises in content. Derek explores how marketing, timing, and distribution drive popularity, rather than sheer quality alone. He discusses the role of social media in spreading information and how influencers can create hybrid cascades of attention. Thompson even connects the fame of the Mona Lisa to a publicity event—proving that context is everything!
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Familiar Surprise Drives Popularity
- People prefer the familiar with a twist rather than pure novelty.
- Derek Thompson calls this combination a "familiar surprise," which drives hits.
Virality Is Not Organic Disease
- Nothing inherently "goes viral" on its own like a disease does.
- Derek Thompson argues distribution, marketing, timing, and luck determine popularity.
How Impressionism Became Canon
- Gustave Cailbot's bequest forced seven then-reject painters into a state museum exhibit.
- That simultaneous display helped canonize Monet, Manet, Renoir and others as Impressionist greats.
