You may be familiar with videos or articles going viral but that does not mean it is necessarily good, unless your only goal is to generate ad revenue through media monetization, much like those selling Twitter accounts. For example, there are videos that go viral about people getting hurt or trying to damage the reputation of a certain person. In some cases, people would call this blackmail or hate content.
Let us face it. The next viral sensation probably will not be about somebody doing a great job, helping an elder person or promoting a genuinely good cause. However, the creation of this new unified communications term promotes overall good content, for good purposes. It is called a candy storm, describing viral content or awareness that supports a good cause.
What Is A Candystorm?
The term was coined by a German politician talking about a political race that recently ended on a radio broadcasting program. After that, candy storm was associated with a strong rise in support for a great cause. This term, while originated in Germany, has spread across the globe, adopted by several languages (see below for more about the term). Clearly, the simple and sticky idea of a candy storm is understood in Europe and the Americas.
Candystorm Backstory
How exactly was the term candystorm coined? The first use of the word can be traced back to Volker Beck, the German politician of the Greens party before the rise of cyber terrorism. This man initiated what was called a candystorm in support of his colleague Claudia Roth back in 2012. During the course of an inter party election, what Americans would consider a primary, Roth was not chosen as the party candidate for a national campaign. In order to compliment her efforts, her Greens party colleagues spread words of praise for her on social media using the hashtag #Claudia2MoreYears, and the Candystorm was born.
Americanizing A German Term
As a result, Americans have embraced a German digitalization term widely. When another culture or country embraces a foreign word, this is frequently called a loanword. A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language or another language without the need for translation. While they have many there have been many loanwords created with increased coverage and faster internet speeds everywhere, we can expect many more loanwords to be created. Digital technology has allowed people to share internationally very easily. This creates a perfect environment for more of these types of words.
Start Spreading It
Candy storm is a great term to to start spreading. It stands for something good and it is very self-explanatory. In the digital world, a candy storm could become more important than going viral to many people. It would be great if companies would seek to create “candy storms” instead of simply viral videos (learn about the difference here).
Some Healthy Criticism
Some individuals, most notably another German politician, have scoffed at the idea of a candystorm. Not because they do not enjoy important causes gaining viral attention. Instead, they bemoan the devolution of our society into one that can describe all occurrences and news media in just one of two words – a shitstorm or a candystorm. These prominent people feel that this is indicative of “the end of liberal civil society.” We here at The Digital Bridges are going to respectfully disagree. There is a lot of good and bad in the media in terms of unified communications, and reporting on both sides of the coin is exactly what non-partisan media should do. Being honest about the sometimes painful realities of modern society does not make us uncivil. Instead, it helps to educate the next generation on our shortcomings, so that they can learn and devise ways to improve our broken system. What do you think, do you agree that one word can be indicative of such a morbid view of media and society?
Another Popular Candystorm
Candy Storm is also the name of a popular mobile game. The game Christmas Adventure: Candy Storm is a huge hit with users. The Candy Storm game is available on the Steam marketplace. Christmas Adventure: Candy Storm is a hidden object game with puzzles for all different ability levels. It also features a ton of different mini-games for users to play. If you want to get in on the candystorm craze, download the Christmas Adventure: Candy Storm game.
Can you think of any candy storms that we might want to write about? Have you supported a cause that was good? Please let us know in the comments below. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on candy storms.
Image from http://philanthropy.com/article/Live-Giving-Tuesday-Blog-/143289/