PurposeRecently, analyses of the characteristics of viral content in the social media field have attracted considerable attention. However, the influence of instant videos has grown significantly, and most social media platforms have begun to introduce them.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a series of independent-samples t-tests using a large-scale data set collected from the YouTube Shorts platform to identify the characteristics of popular instant videos and discussions surrounding them. The authors further analyzed how they differ from other viral content.FindingsThe results indicate that viewers leave varied variety of comments based on the topic of conversation in the community, rather than on the video itself. Furthermore, video producers and viewers attempt to reach a consensus in a straightforward and intuitive manner. All analyzed texts contained appropriate attitudes and tendencies according to their roles on the platform.Originality/valueThis study aimed to discover and understand the video and conversational characteristics of popular instant videos, which differ from the existing widely known viral content.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.