View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by K-State Research Exchange WHAT MAKES A NON-PROFESSIONAL VIDEO GO VIRAL: A CASE STUDY OF “I’M FARMING AND I GROW IT” by LINDSEY ELLIOTT B.S., Kansas State University, 2008 A THESIS submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree MASTER OF SCIENCE A.Q. Miller School of Journalism College of Arts and Sciences KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY Manhattan, Kansas 2013 Approved by: Major Professor Dr. Louise Benjamin Abstract In 2013, creating a 57-second video can lead to more than $150,000 in profit for the creator and the creator can be anyone. This money-making opportunity comes from a recent popular trend known as a “viral video,” defined as a phenomenon of a video becoming highly popular through rapid, user-led distribution via the internet. However, research has not determined a clear model for creating a non-professional viral video. Interviews and YouTube analytics revealed how the video “I’m Farming and I Grow It,” a non-professional video created by three Kansas boys, was spread. Using the theories Uses and Gratifications and Two-Step Flow, this case study then analyzed the comments posted on the viral video and a content analysis of the comments identified the key factors mentioned by users, which contributed to the videos’ millions of views. The results conclude the key components for making a non- professional video go viral are “opinion leaders” spreading the message and video content that elicits positive feelings such as joy, humor, or praise. This study also provides a model to help a non-professional video go viral based on previous research and this case study. Table of Contents List of Figures................................................................................................................................. v Chapter 1 - Introduction.................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2 - Literature Review......................................................................................................... 3 Theoretical Framework........................................................................................... 3 User-Generated Content.......................................................................................... 5 YouTube ................................................................................................................. 6 Viral Videos............................................................................................................ 8 Opinion Leaders.................................................................................................... 11 Viral Components ................................................................................................. 13 Chapter 3 - Methods...................................................................................................................... 18 Interviews.............................................................................................................. 18 Content Analysis................................................................................................... 19 Inter-Coder Reliability.......................................................................................... 20 Code Book ............................................................................................................ 20 Chapter 4 - Results........................................................................................................................ 25 Frequencies ........................................................................................................... 26 Emotion............................................................................................................. 26 Main Actor in Video ......................................................................................... 29 Participation ...................................................................................................... 31 Information ....................................................................................................... 34 Entertainment.................................................................................................... 36 Source of Shared Content ................................................................................. 38 iii Relationship to Sender ...................................................................................... 39 Video Quality.................................................................................................... 40 Other ................................................................................................................. 41 Hypotheses............................................................................................................ 45 Chapter 5 - Discussion.................................................................................................................. 66 Parody Comparison............................................................................................... 71 Viral Model........................................................................................................... 72 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research ................................................ 75 References..................................................................................................................................... 79 Appendix A - Interview Questions ............................................................................................... 84 Questions for the Peterson brothers ...................................................................... 84 Responses.............................................................................................................. 84 Questions for Senator Pat Roberts ........................................................................ 86 Responses.............................................................................................................. 86 Appendix B - Coding Sheet .......................................................................................................... 87 Appendix C - “I’m Elmo and I Know it” Lyrics .......................................................................... 89 Appendix D - “Farmer Style” Lyrics............................................................................................ 91 Appendix E - Final Coding Sheet ................................................................................................. 93 Appendix F - “I’m Farming and I Grow It” Lyrics ...................................................................... 95 Appendix F - “I’m Sexy and I Know It” Lyrics ........................................................................... 97 iv List of Figures Figure 1 ......................................................................................................................................... 26 Figure 2 ......................................................................................................................................... 27 Figure 3 ......................................................................................................................................... 29 Figure 4 ......................................................................................................................................... 31 Figure 5 ......................................................................................................................................... 34 Figure 6 ......................................................................................................................................... 36 Figure 7 ......................................................................................................................................... 38 Figure 8 ......................................................................................................................................... 39 Figure 9 ......................................................................................................................................... 41 Figure 10 ....................................................................................................................................... 41 Figure 11 ....................................................................................................................................... 47 Figure 12 ....................................................................................................................................... 49 Figure 13 ....................................................................................................................................... 50 Figure 14 ....................................................................................................................................... 58 Figure 15 ....................................................................................................................................... 60 Figure 16 ....................................................................................................................................... 61 Figure 17 ....................................................................................................................................... 63 Figure 18 ......................................................................................................................................