What does it mean to be famous in today’s world? The basic definition of fame is “to be known,” or known outside your immediate circle of influence. Our conventional understanding of a famous person is someone who is a movie star, in a band, or a pro athlete. But this is no longer applicable as social media has allowed men, women and children to peanut butter, cry and treadmill their way to fame.

Celebrity is no longer a name reserved for those who fill the pages of tabloid magazines at the grocery checkout; today, it is commonplace for any individual to create content (media) and gain a following. If it’s compelling enough, funny enough, weird enough or something else we don’t even know yet, it will be shared and viewed by millions of people.

Normal people now have the great opportunity to be “known” just like all the big names in Hollywood, it all depends on who gets the most shares and likes. Daniel Lara, more commonly known as “Damn Daniel,” became famous overnight when Snapchats taken by his friend Josh went viral. Researchers from the Universities of Aberdeen, Cambridge, Zaragoza and Nacional de Colombia explain how the ability of a video to catch on, and a person's willingness to flock to it, depends largely on the context.

A person may be drawn to a viral video or product if it is intrinsically appealing, but this can also be influenced by whether or not a person's circle of acquaintances has. If there is "negative action" from people who are unaware of the trend, this will create a barrier to its spread, blocking it from large contagion. But, when the means of transmission becomes stronger than the resistance, the content will overcome the reluctance of ignorant contacts.

Most of us didn’t actually understand why the “Damn Daniel” video was so funny. Honestly, what's so cool about Daniel’s shoes? But we shared it anyway because everyone else was sharing it.

We are rewarding normal people by sharing the things we find outrages, embarrassing or seemingly average. Why? This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps the reason is to show others that we are not alone. We have the ability to laugh at our shortcomings, our silly, idiotic behavior, or our funny realities. People realize we have limitations, and to recognize this is somewhat commendable. We can’t all be famous in the conventional sense -- all we want is to be recognized as the crazy, dumb and sometimes silly individuals we all are.