The Psychology of Viral Trends: Social Identity and Conformity in Short-Form Video Culture

Abstract

Short-form video platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have given rise to a distinct form of cultural transmission: the viral trend or "challenge," in which large numbers of users replicate a shared behavior, sound, or format within a compressed timeframe. This paper examines viral trend participation through the combined lenses of social identity theory and classic conformity research, arguing that short-form video platforms have created structural conditions — participatory rather than merely observational sharing, algorithmically amplified visibility of in-group behavior, and rapid normative feedback through likes and comments — that intensify identity-based conformity processes relative to earlier social media formats. Building on this literature-grounded framework, the paper proposes an original survey-based study testing whether identity salience and perceived popularity independently predict self-reported trend-participation likelihood among young adults. An illustrative dataset (N = 220) is presented to demonstrate the intended statistical approach. The illustrative results suggest that both identity relevance and perceived popularity significantly and independently predict participation likelihood, with perceived popularity showing the stronger effect — consistent with the theoretical emphasis on algorithmically manufactured consensus as a key driver of viral conformity. Implications for platform design and digital literacy education are discussed.