Elements of a design theory of nano-viral messages: a case study of #solar nanovirals

ABSTRACT

Viral messages reach a large number of people at almost no cost. However, the majority of viral messages are based on shocking or entertaining content. Is it possible to make other kinds of content go viral, such as science and technology news? I use conceptual blending analysis to analyze five representative, very small messages about solar technology that went viral (nanovirals). I identify four distinct viral strategies that vary according to the number of belief systems used, and whether the viral message confirmed or contradicted central beliefs. Finally, I use information systems modeling to depict a common viral mechanism underlying the strategies. I conclude with a practical heuristic to guide the design of nanoviral messages.

Acknowledgments

This material is based partly upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under CMMI –1635334. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

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Notes on contributors

Nick V. Flor

Nick V. Flor is an Associate Professor of Information Systems at the University of New Mexico, in the Anderson School of Management’s Department of Marketing, Information Systems, Information Assurance, and Operations Management. His research applies cognitive methods, exploratory data analytics, and visualizations to study viral processes, informal learning, and dynamic organization on social media. Dr. Flor’s work is published in journals, which include Communications of the ACM, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, and Knowledge-Based Systems. He is author of the book Web Business Engineering by Addison-Wesley publishing. Dr. Flor is principal or co-principal investigator on several Federal Grants, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and Sandia National Labs. He is director of the Research Analytics & Virtual Environments Laboratory at UNM. Dr. Flor holds a PhD in Cognitive Science from the University of California San Diego.