In the past, when you were bored and trying to fight off the school day blues, there wasn’t much you could about it. Now, with the press of the play button, you can take a quick, entertaining journey by watching a video that lasts between 15 seconds and five minutes.

Online videos have taken off in the past few years and some have gone to the point of becoming viral. Viral videos have embedded themselves in our everyday lives, becoming the norm for fast and easy entertainment. As great as this is, one must ask themselves, how do such videos become popular?

The standard viral video has very simple and to some extent, stupid content that is conveyed in a very brief amount of time that can be as short as a few seconds.

According to videomaker.com, “viral videos should be easy to understand. If the action takes too much time to explain or requires knowledge of some backstory, chances are that most viewers won’t bother to pass them along.”

They also tend to get to the point with crisp audio and clean images that even the most inattentive viewer can get what’s going on. The topic it pertains to also typically has a wide appeal among viewers. This allows people from all different backgrounds to be entertained by the same material that they, in turn, can share with friends, relatives, and neighbors who might not have similar interests and still enjoy it as much as the next guy.

According to Wired.com, making a video that speaks “to a more general audience increases your chances of getting shared and viewed by lots of people, and you’ll need that universal appeal if you want to get more than a few thousand views.”

Although commonality is a key factor in the success of a viral masterpiece, it is not the only one. Emotional arousal is also a crucial element.

For example, the clip referred to as Charlie Bit My Finger—Again! fostered 355 million views on youtube. Two little boys in the video, Harry and Charlie, are very expressive. It starts out with the boys seated when Charlie bites into Harry’s finger. Harry shrieks and then the both of them start laughing. In the 56 seconds of the video’s running time, their faces go from anticipation to agony to laughter. Just when one may get worried that Harry might actually be hurt, he gets a wide smile on his face. The relief is then felt by the viewer and the delight is undeniably infectious.

In addition to viral videos playing with people’s heart strings, they also are unique and creative. Like with every other art form, out of the box ideas always find their way to the public eye.

According to Business.com, “The uniqueness of a video are indispensable in maximizing your chances at going viral. If you make a video that covers a topic that’s been done to death, nobody will want to watch it.”

However, if a video offers a new perspective on an old topic, it can possibly go viral if done right. One thing that will never get old is the popularity of viral videos. Having built a library of classics and upcoming contemporaries, viral videos aren’t going anywhere any time soon.