Rick Paulas. What It Feels Like to Go Viral. Pacific Standard, June 2017. URL: https://psmag.com/economics/going-viral-is-like-doing-cartwheels-on-the-water-spout-of-a-giant-whale (visited on 2023-12-08).
This article really resonates with people. The author describes "going viral" as "doing a cartwheel in the blowhole of a giant whale" - it sounds funny, but just imagine how out of control it is. You post something on your social media, and suddenly it becomes the topic of discussion all over the world overnight. The pressure and absurdity hit you all at once. It reminds us that although going viral on the internet seems glamorous, it often comes with huge psychological burdens, exposure of privacy, and completely unpredictable consequences. In other words, "the light of going viral" has a lot of "burning heat" in it.