A team of researchers from the UniÂverÂsiÂty of PennÂsylÂvaÂnia spent a good six months studyÂing The New York Times list of most-e-mailed artiÂcles, hopÂing to figÂure out what artiÂcles get shared, and why. And here’s what they essenÂtialÂly found:
PeoÂple preÂferred e‑mailing artiÂcles with posÂiÂtive rather than negÂaÂtive themes, and they liked to send long artiÂcles on intelÂlecÂtuÂalÂly chalÂlengÂing topÂics… PerÂhaps most of all, readÂers wantÂed to share artiÂcles that inspired awe, an emoÂtion that the researchers invesÂtiÂgatÂed after noticÂing how many sciÂence artiÂcles made the list.
This goes a long way toward explainÂing why 3.4 milÂlion peoÂple have watched The Known UniÂverse since mid DecemÂber. And, as Bill Rankin rightÂly sugÂgestÂed to me, it says someÂthing good about online culÂture, and what makes Open CulÂture work as a site. Each day, we try to give you a litÂtle awe and chalÂlenge. And for our next post: 10,000 GalaxÂies in 3D.
