Viral Communications via the Internet and Offline

<p>Nowadays Viral Communications are widespread and used by professionals in the field of mass communications and any user of the Internet. Nevertheless the viral communication as a phenomenon has arisen long before the Internet era.</p><p>The <strong>object</strong> of our study is the Viral Communication as a phenomenon. The subject is a variety of existing viral messages. The <strong>purpose</strong> is to study the phenomenon of Viral Communication and to systematize its forms. The<strong> tasks </strong>are:</p><p>1. To study the concept of communication on the basis of existing theoretical framework.</p><p>2. To determine the genesis and concept of Viral Communication.</p><p>3. To analyze possible viral messages before the Internet era.</p><p>4. To describe the variety of viral messages and the range of their application.</p><p>5. To advance the viral messeges classification.</p><p>6. To comprehend a tendency of Viral Communication to develop in the near future.</p><p><strong>Methodological basis</strong> of our research is the dialectical method of scientific cognition and systematic approach. We also use such methods as the analysis of scientific literature, historical and genetic analysis, comparative analysis, the method of description and method of classification.</p><p><strong>Empirical base</strong> is the complex of viral messages via Internet (texts, videos, memes, images, flash games and so on) and offline (poems, anecdotes, proverbs, offline memes and so on). There are more than 500 viral messages<strong>.</strong></p><p>We analyze the existing theoretical and collected empirical material and come to the following findings and conclusions. The viral message has a number of characteristics that distinguishes it from all other messages distributed via Internet and offline:</p><p style="margin-left:53.45pt;">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is appealing to most of the audience and based on cultural patterns;</p><p style="margin-left:53.45pt;">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It affects peoples&rsquo; emotions;</p><p style="margin-left:53.45pt;">3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It must be worth sharing with friends and family;</p><p style="margin-left:53.45pt;">4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It spreads rapidly like wildfire;</p><p style="margin-left:53.45pt;">5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It spreads spontaneously in &lsquo;word-of-mouth&rsquo; ways;</p><p style="margin-left:53.45pt;">6.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It duplicates itself easily and has a large quantity of its copies;</p><p>Modern viral messages can be classified:</p><p>1. <strong>By the purpose of creation</strong>: to increase commercial profits (marketing, advertising); to affect public opinion (PR, politics); or as folk culture.</p><p>2. <strong>By types of communication</strong>: verbal, nonverbal, mixed.</p><p>3. <strong>By the nature of the distribution</strong> (the amount of variability, heredity or replication and differential &quot;fitness&quot;): strong and weak viruses.</p><p>4. <strong>By the appeal or survival</strong>: durability (may spread between the representatives of different generation); productivity; accuracy of the copy.</p><p>The results and findings of our Russian and foreign colleagues and of our own study allows us to conclude that in the conditions of development of information society and information technologies the role of Viral communications&nbsp; increases in all the spheres of society particularly in practical fields (marketing, public relations and PR). It will increase further, turn into new forms and spread to other fields.</p>