Member-only story
My First Time Going Viral
Recently, I was lucky enough to be given the experience of going viral on social media. TikTok ended up being where it finally happened. I would be lying if I were to say that I’ve not been wanting this to happen for a long time. After going through all the feelings and emotions that came with going viral, I now see how this could cause obsessive behaviors. In the midst of it all, I was overcome with joy, had moments of anxiety, and in the end disappointed when I was unable to achieve that new high standard I set.
When I was making the Tik Tok that night I had a feeling that this would finally be the one that did it. I had shut the door, confusing my girlfriend as she overheard what sounded like me talking to myself. After finishing, I ran out to her in the kitchen to show her the video and said “I finally made the one that’s going to do it.”
Quickly after posting I noticed that my views were going up at a rate that they never had before. This is where the joy came in, as I got an overall feeling of achievement. As time went on, the likes, views, and comments started skyrocketing. I was refreshing the app every 10 seconds and was getting views at a rate of 500 each time. I started texting my brother and my friend in a group chat and letting them know every milestone that I hit. 10,000, 20,000, 30,000, 40,000, and on and on it went.
