Unlocking the mysteries behind baby viral videos.

Abstract

With the rise of social media platforms, sharing online content has integrated into our everyday lives. Online content that contains viral elements will effortlessly spread through the Internet as users share among their peers. Mysteriously, videos containing baby content are shared widely and received millions of views. Although there are a few researches that explored how videos become viral, minimal research has been done to understand the complexity behind baby-related viral videos. As a result, this research will investigate the uncanny Internet phenomenon – Baby-related Viral Videos.

To uncover the motivations behind viewers’ desire to watch baby videos, a netnography analysis was conducted. This analysis is achieved by analyzing comments left on 38 widely viewed baby videos hosted on YouTube. The results allowed us to create a comprehensive list of interpretations that explained why viewers found these baby videos interesting. These preliminary findings were condensed into three broad categories: adorable, funny and share worthy. Subsequently, a questionnaire was designed to further explore the secrets behind baby-related videos.

Through a multidimensional scaling analysis, findings revealed that baby-related videos that contain external stimuli (e.g. an adult trying to talk to a baby) are likely to be shared as compared to videos without. Videos that have babies with emotionally charged facial expressions (e.g. laughing hysterically, shocked expressions) are also more likely to be shared compared to videos where the babies are less active. Overall, baby videos with emotionally charged facial expressions have a stronger correlation with the likelihood of videos being shared or becoming viral. The netnography analysis showed that the most overwhelming comment on baby-related videos was “Adorable”, followed by “Funny”. Contrary to our initial findings, funny baby videos are actually more likely to be shared as opposed to purely adorable ones.

This research not only helps to understand the secrets behind baby-related viral videos, but it also gives people who aspire a career in YouTube and small-medium enterprises (SME) more understanding on utilizing baby-related viral videos effectively and using it to their advantage.