Man Scratches Through Wall For Social Media Challenge

What does “go viral” mean in English?

When something “goes viral,” it spreads very fast on the internet and many people see it, share it, or talk about it. In this clip, a man starts scratching a wall for a social media challenge. On day one he has one follower, but on day two he “went viral and gained 10,000 followers.” The word “viral” comes from the idea of a virus that spreads from person to person.

The phrase is very common on social media. You can say: “Her dance video went viral overnight,” or “I hope this post goes viral.” The past tense is “went viral,” and the present continuous is “going viral” — for example, “This video is going viral right now.” A related informal phrase is “blow up,” which often means the same thing: “His account blew up after that video.” Both phrases are informal and most common in everyday conversation about the internet.