The AI-powered English dictionary
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(virology) Of or relating to a biological virus.
(virology) Caused by a virus.
(computing) Of the nature of an informatic virus; able to spread copies of itself to other computers. examples
(advertising and marketing) Spread by word of mouth, with minimal intervention in order to create buzz and interest. quotations examples
“Efficient way to disseminate information? I don't think.”“But it is,” Cayce insists. “The model's viral. ‘Deep niche.’ The venues would be carefully selected—”
2003, William Gibson, Pattern Recognition (Bigend cycle; book 1), New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, page 85
Still, the movie [Ralph Breaks the Internet] manages to locate some gentle satire in our culture's love-hate relationship with the internet. At one point, Ralph must attain a certain level of viral popularity, assisted by the BuzzFeed-esque content guru Yesss (Taraji P. Henson), and the movie is savvy about how accidental spikes in fame can turn into cynical algorithm manipulation.
2018 November 14, Jesse Hassenger, “Disney Goes Viral with an Ambitious, Overstuffed Wreck-It Ralph Sequel”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 21 November 2019
(social media) Circulated rapidly and widely from one user to another. quotations examples
The end game of that is the GoFundMe link posted beneath a viral tweet so they can pay for their health care. Being an influencer sounds fun until it’s ‘keep producing viral content to literally stay alive.’
2021 March 24, Charlie Warzel, quoting Anil Dash, “What Are You Paying for When You Buy a GIF for $25,000?”, in The New York Times
plural virals
(marketing) A video, image or text spread by "word of mouth" on the internet or by e-mail for humorous, political or marketing purposes. quotations examples
Using the Flash ActiveX control in this way allows you as a developer to create desktop characters, email virals and screensavers.
2002, Nik Lever, Flash Mx Games: ActionScript for Artists, Focal Press, page 411
[M]ost virals are not seen as profiling and data collection exercises, since that would kill the impulse of forwarding to a friend.
2003, Dave Chaffey, Total E-Mail Marketing, Elsevier, page 2
Music company virals are becoming commonplace as costs of promos force labels to reconsider how to target more directly to consumers.
2005, Russell Evans, Practical DV Filmmaking, Focal Press, page 289