The Popularity Cycle (again)

POSTNOTE: I realised upon completion of this entry that I had written about this theory before 2 years ago.. But heck it I'll still post this because it's been on my mind, and maybe my university level style is different? lol. I'll let you be the judge

I'm going to discuss this theory I have about popularity. My theory is as such:

Once you have done sufficiently enough, (is this an oxymoron?) your popularity is sustained on its own without much effort on your part.

Let me break this further into 3 parts which I will emphasize at different points:
1) You have done sufficiently enough
2) Your popularity is sustained on its own
3) Without much effort on your part



Two things made me think about this -
First was XX's blog.
Her blog is undoubtedly the most popular blog in Singapore, and is pretty well known in the world as well. (Judging by the traffic counter and the awards she has won) She has, undoubtedly, written some really controversial and interesting blog entries in the past (i.e. her sidebar of links). But the large majority of her entries now are... boring? Just advertorials, photospam. But she still has 981723 visitors daily. Why? Because she fulfilled 1) with her previous entries and now because she's famous, people want to see her ads/photos etc.

Another more clear example is - Youtube videos.
Have you watched that Youtube video of Achmed the Dead Terrorist? You probably have, because it's a famous video, and its hella funny.
It is one of the top 10 most viewed Youtube videos of all time, and it'll probably stay there because it is popular and so people will keep recommending it. Also because it's rather funny so I guess rewatching it is a possibility (Like i'm doing now.. 'I KEEEL YOU'  rofl!)
So 2) it's popularity is sustaining it on its own with 3) no effort at all from the original uploader.


Maybe this is not a good example, because there is no 1) initial effort at all! The uploader probably recorded this or something and just uploaded it. Plus, it's funny so the comedic nature of it would also sustain its popularity.
Let's use MY video as an example:

Hardest Mario Level Ever - Completed

If you have never heard of the hardest mario level ever,(or mario frustration) i suggest you check it out here, it's filled with profanities though so do turn your speakers down or make sure you're wearing headphones.
It's funny as hell especially if it's your first time watching it.

So basically my video is one of the first on Youtube to show myself completing the ENTIRE game, all 4 levels. (In fact, I was probably the first. I can't confirm this though, but I don't see any other reason why it would have shot to fame like it did)

1) I certainly put in alot of effort to put this video together, all the hours spent pulling my hair out and beating this game, plus all the video editting required ( I died a gazillion times, so every attempt had to be recorded as I wouldn't know when i would be beating it) in piecing the parts together. So I fulfilled the first requirement

2) It shot to fame as it was the first of its kind, and it being posted on some forum also helped to boost my views, and with sufficient spark, it boomed to being rather popular? Generating about 50k views 2 years ago, and is at a humble 400k+ views now
I can imagine the conversations of people who probably watched the original video first:

Guy A: "Hey have you heard of the super duper frustrating and imba level of super mario? There's this funny guy playing it on Youtube and getting owned and it's damn funny!"

Guy B: "That's nothing! Have you heard of the guy who beat the whole game?"

hahahah. And as such, my video is linked. And for the record, that guy in the original video did NOT actually play the game, the uploader did acknowledge that the gameplay video was taken from some Japanese website and he merely did the voiceover.

3) I'm receiving daily notifications of comments being posted there and I barely go back to check or reply questions. I'm doing virtually nothing, yet the views are still going up! Because of the Popularity Cycle Effect!


Thus, if you want to be famous and popular, you need to find some startup boost, some initial spark that will get your popularity going. Something that will get people talking about you or what you did or posted, and then once you have burst into popularity flames you just have to put in a mediocre effort to sustain it and it will keep going due to the Popularity Cycle Effect.