Cute Inspired By Cute

amillikan — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:30:22 +0000

When considering the virality of internet memes—that is, the likelihood that a given item of web goodness will be passed from one person to another as fast as you can press Control+C, Control+V and send—there are many theories as to what causes these explosions of web transference. But examining pieces of Internet phenomena from the early days of the dancing baby to the more modern use of Rick-rolling, it's clear the logic of virality has yet to be uncovered through the scientific method.

Here at Seed, we couldn't help but notice the abundance of cute-themed videos showing up on the Internet. (It's not as though we actively seek these things out.) Some favorites in the office lately: Kittens Inspired by Kittens, this weirdly cute Samsung ad featuring cuddly baby animals, The Dachshund Song, and don't even get us started on the puppy cam. If we weren't so restrained and hardworking here, it's possible ScienceBlogs may have gone without updates for days while we watched those puppies play.

Luckily, original ScienceBlogs manager Chris Mims has taken steps to satisfy our curiosity about what's up with this, as a contributor in the YouTube production titled "The Science of Cute," part of "The Science of YouTube" series that provides some scientific explanations of what makes cute so deliciously viral.

Thanks Chris. Science really can explain everything!

Also, check out the website that consistently comes through with a daily dose of cute: Zooborns

amillikan Tue, 02/24/2009 - 08:30

the science of cute

Cute Inspired By Cute