The Digital Resurrection: Understanding Why Old Content Goes Viral Virality isn’t magic. It’s not just luck, and it’s definitely not random. There’s a science behind why some ideas catch on while others fade into obscurity. For those of us in marketing, understanding this science is crucial. It means the difference between creating content that just sits there and taking off, reaching thousands or even millions of people.
Virality also hinges on relatability. Content that resonates with a broad audience, or that speaks directly to a specific community, is far more likely to be shared. Relatability makes people think, “That’s so me,” or “That’s exactly what I’ve experienced.” This creates a bond between the content and the audience, making them more likely to pass it along.
Take memes, for example. Memes are one of the most shareable forms of content online, precisely because they’re relatable. They take everyday experiences, amplify them with humour, and make people feel seen. The more people can see themselves in a piece of content, the more likely they are to share it, as if to say, “This is me, and I think it might be you too.”
Mechanics behind the Revival
The TikTok algorithm, in particular, has become notorious for this behaviour. Its “For You” page operates on a pure engagement model, where content age bears little weight compared to user interaction rates. This creates a level playing field where a clip from a 1980s TV show can compete equally with content created yesterday.
Cultural Nostalgia in the Digital Age
People of different ages are able to discover and witness content from different generations and years. The generations that are actively discovering this content are the Genzs and Millenials. This is focusing on more digital intergenerational cultural exchange. But the sudden resurfaces occur when the older content talks about and illustrates contemporary issues and trends. Some social media analysts also refer to it as a ‘temporal relevance’.
For example, when old Hollywood songs started surfing all over again on social media platforms, it brought the emotional resilience felt by the modern audience, which also led to popular social media platforms like TikTok.
Modern social media platforms have created a phenomenon known as “context collapse,” where content from different periods exists simultaneously in our feeds without clear temporal markers. This flattening of time creates interesting juxtapositions and allows old content to be reinterpreted through contemporary lenses. People also share content that surprises them. The element of surprise is powerful because it disrupts our expectations and demands our attention. When something surprises us, it creates a moment of cognitive dissonance—our brain takes notice because it wasn’t expecting that. This sudden shift captures attention, and in a world where attention is the ultimate currency, this is gold.
Digital upcycling
While we are working on physical upcycling, simultaneously digital content is on its way to a massive accumulation of unused data stored and kept in archives for decades. Creating this content and maintaining it with extra space requires energy. Content which is expired for Google Analytics, strategically old and outdated is no more a king. It’s rather termed as something that becomes the mad king from Game Of Thrones- fat, bloated and unfit for purpose. Simply stocking up on junk doesn’t mean it’s going to be useful in future. Old content doesn’t help from a search perspective either, therefore upcycling old databases could help in saving time, energy and storage.
LG AI research gave birth to an AI artist, designer and environmental activist called Tilda. In February Tilda debuted at New York Fashion Week on the “ Flowers on Venus” runway collection created with Greedilous’ designer Young Park. Tilda is an expert in illustration, and pattern design and employs EXAONE ( LG’s latest AI MODEL) as her brain consumes millions of data and her upgraded learning capacity also masters environmental responsibility. Having all that in order Tilda unveiled her solo project at the beginning of June, on World Environment Day.
Her capsule collection of sustainably crafted clothing had physical and digital waste combined. This “Digital upcycling project” consists of a collection of 30 garments created from discarded and repurposed materials from physical and digital storage waste.
Launched in Metaverse on World Environment Day, this collection is conceived as a way to raise awareness about digital and physical waste. It’s the combination of patchwork and a digital mash-up of patterns and colours in a very creative manner. As we step into the next generation, we must focus on the alternatives, recycling and regeneration of fashion waste whether it’s physical or digital. Tilda has taken an initiative for the rest of the industry to follow. The last decade has been all about the sustainability of an organic lifestyle, this seems like a step forward in the same direction from the Metaverse perspective.
Overall, the old content going viral has its own demands and cultural requirements in the present digital space. It’s odd as well as fascinating for new social media users to digitally witness the very beginning or peak start of digital spaces.
