Virality has been a common term for quite some time now. Every now and then we see new products and apps becoming ‘viral’ and everyone starts using it. It also applies to content (perhaps more to content than to apps) such as a blog post, a photo, or a video. Either way the key concept here is similar to the biological virus, i.e. when one person starts using an app (catch the virus), how many other people start using the app because of this person (catch the virus from this person), and the chain continues.

If you examine this phenomenon, you will find a few underlying elements –

1. One user can infect multiple users (referrals, friends, followers)
2. The more users I am in touch with who are infected, the more chances I will get infected (peer pressure).
3. If one’s immune system is very strong, they will not get infected (users who don’t join despite all the peer pressure).
4. One either catches the infection or not (subscribes or not). If they catch it they become carriers themselves and the cycle continues, but if they not, then nothing happens through them.

Perhaps it is this last point that we could re-examine with the now acquired knowledge on the Covid spread. The Covid-19 virus stays inside someone’s system and makes them asymptotic carriers so even when they themselves are not going to be sick, they can still infect the others.

What could be the equivalent virality in products or apps?

Even when someone themselves do not subscribe to the app, they cause others to do it.

Say a new social media app is launched. Initial users are inviting their friends, and they are joining and inviting their friends and so on, and eventually people are joining because their friends are already there. But somehow the people who are NOT joining, also invite others to join.

Can it be possible? Perhaps. Need to be thought through. Right now it was just an idea that came to my mind trying to look at the Covid situation through a positive lens.