What makes things popular? Why do people talk about certain products and ideas more than others? Why are some stories and rumors more infectious? And what makes online content go viral? If you said advertising, think again. People don't listen to advertisements, they listen to t…
Understanding how 'contagion' and 'infection' have become powerful metaphors requires a historical reconstruction of this semantic field in the late 19th and early 20th century, when these concepts acquired a scientific meaning. The volume offers an interdisciplinary approach to…
"In December 2012, the exuberant video "Gangnam Style" became the first YouTube clip to be viewed more than one billion times. Thousands of its viewers responded by creating and posting their own variations of the video: "Mitt Romney Style," "NASA Johnson Style," "Egyptian Style…
"Internet memes--digital snippets that can make a joke, make a point, or make a connection -- are now a lingua franca of online life. They are collectively created, circulated, and transformed by countless users across vast networks. Most of us have seen the cat playing the pian…