Let’s think for a second about non-fungible things as viral content. Everyone has of course read my blog about virality. Everyone has committed to believing what I say — things are most shareable because they are tools for social status.
Because of “Share” buttons, we often think of fungible stuff (videos, images, tracks, webpages, etc) when we think about our audiences sharing our work. We can also think about how they share our non-fungible stuff.
The easiest for me is to think of books. People buy each other books all the time to say something about themselves. Maybe the intention is to say “I know you” maybe the intention is to say “I’m really smart.” A person can say a lot about themself with a book.
This is true for all information gifting and entertainment gifting. Why does someone want to have me perform at their party? Maybe they want to tell their friends…
- Hey, I am really good at finding entertainers
- Hey, I know the underground world of Los Angeles
- Hey, I have a weird sense of humor. I think that means I’m smart. Here’s proof that I’m smart.
- Hey, I am rich
There is a person behind purchasing whatever we create. That person wants to show the world their identity. We help them do that. If we’re conscious of it, maybe we can do it better.