The Nature of Virality and Ad-based Capitalism

The nature of virality has become inseparable from ad-based capitalism, where user attention is monetized for profit. Platforms prioritize content likely to generate engagement, creating a feedback loop where viral material drives advertising revenue, and advertisers fuel the spread of similar content. For artists, this dynamic forces them to chase virality to gain notoriety, often shaping their creative output to align with trends or algorithmic preferences. While this can lead to widespread recognition, it also pressures artists to produce shareable, easily consumable content, sometimes at the expense of artistic depth. Christie Byun writes in The Economics of the Popular Music Industry, “Musicians want to be more than just a moment, as American singer-songwriter Trevor Daniel sums up, ‘I just mostly want [TikTok] to put me in a place career-wise when I follow-up, it’s just as big.’ It is a launching pad for many, but musicians don’t want to be pigeonholed into being only a “TikTok artist.” Musicians must find a way to display their talents that pushes them past a viral moment on the app. This can be challenging in a marketplace flooded with new talent. As social media platforms like TikTok level the playing field and lower the barriers to entry, musicians find it increasingly difficult to keep themselves in the public eye.” Given how quickly trends come and go, especially on TikTok, artists are struggling to maintain their moment if they’re lucky enough to have one in the first place.