Available From UC Press

That famous—or infamous—“spontaneous” viral video isn’t as random as you think.

Every day on TikTok, YouTube, and other social media platforms, someone, somewhere does something scandalous that suddenly seems to be everywhere. Within hours, it’s dissected, memed, remixed, and monetized. Each viral scandal feels random, unpredictable, and impossible to anticipate.

But most viral moments follow recognizable patterns. They emerge through specific social contexts, spread in predictable ways, and reveal how attention, emotion, and culture shape what captures the internet’s imagination.

Drawing on rich digital ethnography, internet pop culture expert Jessica Maddox argues that the internet isn’t the chaos machine it seems to be. By uncovering the hidden logic behind viral scandals, Anatomy of an Internet Scandal shows how these cycles reshape content creator labor—and why understanding them matters far beyond the internet.

Jessica Maddox is Associate Professor of Media Studies at the University of Georgia and author of The Internet Is for Cats: How Animal Images Shape Our Digital Lives.

“Anatomy of an Internet Scandal offers an engaging analysis of what it means to go viral. Jessica Maddox questions the role of moral outrage in shaping online scandals and persuasively argues for online accountability grounded in transformative justice. An essential read!”—Caitlin Lawson, author of Just Like Us: Digital Debates on Feminism and Fame