6. Novelty

The attraction of novelty was identified early on by Wilhelm Wundt who came up with the Wundt curve.

The sweet spot is in the middle - we're attracted by things that are new enough to not be stale, but not too new to be strange.

Thus, people are motivated to share new products and new information because it makes them look like they’re ahead of the (Wundt) curve.

Competition makes entertainment virality difficult to catch. It’s very hit or miss and then fleeting even when you do hit.