1. SAGE Lecture Spark
[3/5/19]
The Publisher of the Social Sciences

2. How Hallway ‘Pizza Intern’ Became Viral Star during Cohen Testimony
“During the day of testimony, CBS... went live from Washington... just as a man was trying to devour a pizza as quickly as possible.”
“The moment was captured by [a] Twitter user..., generating more than [100,000] likes. The clip shows the man clearly enjoying his pizza until he learns he's eating on national television.”

3. ‘Pizza Intern’ Gets Special Pie Named for Him
The pizza company he was eating pizza from “&pizza,” has made him the face of their twitter account, raised over $300 for a GoFundMe to “buy the intern more pizza,” and named a “Hallway Pizza” in his honor.

4. What Makes A Video ‘Viral’?
“‘Viral video’ is one of those buzz words that gets thrown around a lot but nobody is really sure what it means. I mean, what exactly constitutes a viral video?”
Viral videos are determined by how many views they get in a short time, how much buzz they generate, the degree to which they are parodied or mimicked, and how well they are remembered over time.

5. Momo and Viral Video Hoaxes
The Momo challenge isn’t real, yet it keeps getting shared over and over. Many viral videos are like this.
“Memes–be they videos on YouTube, posts on Facebook, or tweets–may seem like a dangerous new form of misinformation. This is correct. But the messages they spread aren’t new. It’s simply that the platforms allowing for them are much more powerful than ever before.”

6. Key Concepts Viral Videos: The Pizza Intern
Memes and viral videos such as the “Pizza Intern” have the power to reach very large audiences.
Companies can harness this ability and turn it into advertising profit, as has been done with “&pizza.”
Beyond this, they have the power to convince the public of what is and what isn’t—despite their potential lack of veracity. A saying on propaganda goes that if you tell a lie enough, it becomes a truth. Herein lies a dangerous facet of mass media that extends far beyond pepperoni and cheese.

7. Assessment
Writing: What ethical considerations might there be in a company using a meme for profit? Consider, for instance, whether you believe “Pizza Intern” was paid for use of his image or not.
Debate: Should media sources be allowed to publish memes that contain falsehoods? Why or why not? What if the media outlet isn’t “news,” but a site like Twitter or Reddit, or a platform like Instagram?
Poll: Had you watched the Pizza Intern clip before this lesson?
Yes, No, Unsure
Short Answer: Like the Momo Challenge, when else in media (or your personal life), have you seen a lie passed around enough that people started believing it?
Current Events Quiz
Over how many views has the Twitter clip received?
A video is viral when it has:
Pizza Intern has had $300 raised on a GoFundMe for him to:
The Momo Challenge is an example of a meme that was based on:
Memes are a ____ new form of misinformation.
Answers
100,000
Views, buzz, parody, and longevity
Eat more pizzas
Something not real
Dangerous

8. https://twitter.com/MikeUehlein/status/1100868901045440513
“tfw you go to eat your hallway pizza and get told you’re in the live shot.”

9. https://www. ted. com/talks/dao_nguyen_what_makes_something_go_viral
“What's the secret to making content people love? Join BuzzFeed's Publisher Dao Nguyen for a glimpse at how her team creates their tempting quizzes, lists and videos -- and learn more about how they've developed a system to understand how people use content to connect and create culture.