Home >

Factual >

Lifestyle >

How To Go Viral

image image image

The rise and fall of ‘viral’ ideas: why some ideas stick and others die

A fascinating and intelligent - yet accessible - documentary charting the rise and fall of strong ideas; visual symbols, catchy music, simple religious and political images and, latterly, commercial and new media that has resonated with people. In today’s parlance, these are ‘memes’ that are ‘sticky’ and go ‘viral’. Richard Clay, art historian and expert on semiotics and
iconoclasm and the interplay between new technology and shifts in meaning, compares and contrasts cultural symbols from across the centuries, unpicking iconic images, music and other cultural outputs to explain where ‘stickiness’ comes from. Richard will meet and exchange ideas with artists, experts and thinkers, such as evolutionist Richard Dawkins and DJ Mark Ronson, and deliver fascinating insights on the origins and impact of phenomena as diverse as the Christian cross, V-sign, music sampling, the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ slogan and emojis.

Programme Information

More Like This