Before reading the article:
Do you ever like posts on social media? What kind of posts inspire you to like them?
Perhaps you’ll be surprised to learn that as of today, the most-liked post in the history of Instagram is an image of an egg. Yes, a simple photo of an egg.
Click here and view the historic post.
Would you like this post? Why or why not?
Now, read the article, “Meet the Creator of the Egg That Broke Instagram,” and answer the following questions:
1. What inspired Chris Godfrey to see if he could create the most-liked Instagram post ever?
2. Why did he select an egg as the subject of his post?
3. Why did Mr. Godfrey initially choose to be anonymous? Why did he finally come forward publicly as the creator of the viral post?
4. What surprising demographic might have helped Mr. Godfrey’s early dissemination of his world-record Instagram egg? What evidence supports this hypothesis?
5. Mr. Godfrey denies that he paid influencers to spread the word about his Instagram post. What did he do to amplify the egg’s audience?
6. Andrew Essex, chief executive of a creative holding company, says, “Dollars always follow eyeballs.” What does he mean by this statement? How much money might Mr. Godfrey earn by having the most-liked and followed Instagram post and account?
7. Following his viral post, Mr. Godfrey created a Super Bowl ad featuring Eugene the egg: “Recently I’ve started to crack. The pressure of social media is getting to me,” the caption reads as the egg breaks apart. “If you’re struggling, talk to someone.” The egg is then made whole again, with a link to Mental Health America’s website. Do you think Eugene the egg can help us think about social media and mental health?
Finally, tell us more about what you think:
— What is your reaction to the article? How do you feel about Eugene the egg? Would you like to follow his account?
— Why do you think a record number of people have liked the Instagram post? The previously most-liked Instagram post was Kylie Jenner’s birth announcement. What do these viral posts tell us about our present age and social media?
— To explain the success of Eugene the egg, Mr. Essex said: “Every once in a while something comes out of the blue and breaks the internet for no reason. This is the quintessential fluke. It’s not replicable. It’s not replicable and it’s not sustainable. With all due respect.”
Do you think Eugene the egg was a fluke or something else? Were there deeper reasons for its success? Do you agree it is not replicable or sustainable? Why or why not?
— The idea for Eugene the egg began with a challenge by Mr. Godfrey to himself to create the most-liked Instagram post ever. If you were to try to create a viral post to top Eugene the egg, what would you choose? How might you make it go viral?
