Formula for a Viral Post on social Media

 You thought only Hindi films have a formula? Or Hollywood? You are quite wrong. Social media posts have one too- or more than one.

One that is surefire hit, and will go viral.

X had a job. Or nothing. He/she makes/made Y crores by doing Z.

Or, his/her parents sacrificed everything to put X through college, or supported her dream. Tears streaming down their eyes, they celebrate the kids' success.

How X climbed a mountain, when everyone gave up on him/her, but with great self-belief, he/she achieved his/her goal of being Y- an IAS officer, an athlete, or a Golfer.. just kidding, Golfers are super-rich as they are born with a Silver Golf Club in hand.

Any more that strike a chord with you? You can always make up a new formula that works- if it does.

Formula - the ones and twos

What is a Formula? It is a set way to do something, or to solve something. Like a linear regression model, or the famous Einstein equation which I have not understood what to do with.

Why are formulas important? For some of the same reasons that jargon is. It is familiar territory, and we feel comfortable with it. If you did not have a formula for something, you would need lots of experimentation to come up with some desirable or sensible result.

To descend into more understandable territory, there are formulas for a film, a book, or for a specific goal I found the wooing ritual a nice thing to observe, while in the U.S. and here. Since I am safely away from the age in which this usually happens, maybe I can be 'objective' about this.

In the days gone by, you wrote a letter to your beloved in English or whatever language. It was epitomised by Bollywood songs such as "Yeh mera prem patra padh kar..(When you read my love letter...)". With changing times, maybe the art of writing love letters gave way to direct questions like "Aati kya khandala (will you come to Khandala?) ". There were also some attempts to win over your lady with knight-in-shining- armour acts for a lady in distress, depending on the possibilities. Typically, group outings were common in the beginning, followed by furtive meetings alone in the days gone by.

A U.S. date typically would happen in going to a movie alone with your girlfriend, (as shown in many movies), or taking her out to a dinner and dance, or meeting her in a bar (for older guys over drinking age). The 'singles bar' is named as such, and is commonly used as a 'pick up' place with some known or improvised 'pick up lines' to help you with the process. Of course, the U.S. being a far more 'liberal' and 'individualistic' country, there were lots more of possibilities or variations of the themes.

But it was still the guy doing the hard work, most of the time. Part of the formula? Has it changed much? Don't know enough.

Formulas and Controversies

Yeh Formula 1 kya cheez hai bhai? P.T. Usha of Olympics' just-missed-the-bronze fame has criticised Formula 1 in India as a waste of money. But then, except for some roti, kapda , makaan, and admission fees for kids, everything else is- a waste of money.

We as a culture believe in the formula. We have a formula for everything under the sun-and the moon. From suhaag raat to karva chauth, everything has a formula. Even though the grandmas who seem to know the formulas have mostly migrated from homes to Ekta Kapoor serials these days, come the event, they seem to reappear out of the woodwork and start dictating how things should be done. Gaddafi would feel slighted (if he were alive) at the absolute authority they wield at such times. For example, Indian Gods have to be appeased with 5 fruits at each Pooja, it appears. No wonder fruit-sellers make hay every time a Pooja is around the corner- and one always is.

We have a formula for Hindi movies, where a happy ending is a must. No harm in that, because after paying hard earned money to rich multiplex owners, the least you should expect in return is a happy ending, no? Therefore, tearjerkers are out, and it is happiness most of the time. But the art of copying never dies, however much we try. So we must also copy some tried and tested formulas from Hollywood, like Supermen. Krish and Ravan. Rather, Ra.One.