Going Viral: Virus to Trending Influencer

Few viruses have spent as much time in the limelight as COVID-19. Taking center stage in March of 2020, the virus has dominated our culture for nearly two years now and sparked some new trends in the process like mask-wearing, TikTok dances, and a full wardrobe of matching sweat sets. Ranging from what we wear, to what we eat, and the ways in which we live our daily lives, COVID-19’s effect on popular culture has played the unique role of influencer.

Though this comparison focuses on the facets of the virus that have made it a cultural phenomenon, it is not intended to minimize the ways in which the pandemic has impacted our society and the magnitude of loss it has caused. Thinking of the virus in a cultural sense, we can observe that the virus, like any other influencer, has revised its brand numerous times (in the form of variants) since introducing itself to the public. Like many rebrands, some have been less successful than others and, in this particular case, have even led to naming concerns and public responses rooted in racism. Nevertheless, audiences have been captivated. 

Think about how your social media habits have changed over the past couple of years. We’re all spending more time basking in the blue light emanating from our screens as we scroll through social media because when there was little chance of in-person interaction at the start of the pandemic in March of 2020, our phones became our primary source of connection to our loved ones and the outside world. 

Before the pandemic, like so many other self-righteous college students, I thought TikTok was just for Music.ly-obsessed tweens, but the loneliness and boredom of being in quarantine prompted me to download it. Now, I consider the platform to be one of my favorite social media sites and it accounted for a sizable percentage of my high social media use during the quarantine period of 2020. New TikTok users like myself and all the social media addicts of 2020 have only added to the power that influencers wield, prompting the spread of countless new social media trends since the start of the pandemic. 

So why did so many trends take off on so many different platforms in the past two years? Largely, due to the influence of the pandemic. And it seems that even a virus, just like any other influencer of culture, can be rebranded. Framing the virus as a brand, let’s consider the various rebrands that COVID-19 has undergone since first stepping into the limelight.  

The O.G. COVID-19

Indisputably, the original Covid variant that broke out in 2020 had the strongest influence over us. It influenced nearly every detail of our lives, from our purchasing patterns to our fashion — remember when we were all fighting over toilet paper and hand sanitizer at Target and combing through Youtube tutorials on “how to make your own mask”? We were committed. “Miss Rona”, as the internet dubbed the virus at the time, also started a wave of social media trends — posting about our work from home (WFH) situations, being “bored in the house,” sharing banana bread recipes, or perhaps joining in on a TikTok dance set to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage”. It even seemed as if this era of the pandemic could have participated in brand partnerships with Clorox, Zoom, or Peloton. 

The O.G. COVID-19 had a clear brand identity — one that we are so easily reminded of simply by a whiff of hand sanitizer or the satisfaction of clicking “leave meeting” on a Zoom call.  And maybe, from time to time, we even feel a hint of nostalgia for the old days when all we had to do was stay home and try to maintain our sanity by binge-watching “Tiger King” or playing Animal Crossing. 

Ready for a Comeback

Once vaccines became available to the majority of the public in 2021, it seemed that COVID-19 was in danger of getting canceled overnight. As we hesitantly started to return to our pre-pandemic way of life, the virus was plotting a rebrand called “Delta.” Since many of us were vaccinated by the time Delta surged in the U.S., Delta never really reached the same level of infamy as the O.G. Sure, the new variant took over headlines for a few months and ticked off some airlines — destroying any chance of a brand partnership with Delta Airlines — but overall, the rebrand was just not as influential as the original. COVID-19’s core identity as a dangerous virus with the power to shut down the functioning of our society and make us panic-buy toilet paper seemed like it might be losing traction. 

So what’s a virus to do when its reputation is being damaged and it’s at risk of losing its influence? Perhaps, take a hint from the queen of rebranding herself, Taylor Swift, and enter a new era of personal brand. 

Reputation Era Covid

…Ready for it? The Omicron variant has officially entered the scene, just when we thought that the virus’ influencer career appeared to be coming to an end. This new variant is giving me big Taylor Swift “Reputation” era vibes — it does not care what you think of it and it's going to infect whoever it wants. Spreading throughout the country at warp speed, allegedly making its first big public display at New York City’s annual SantaCon, Omicron has taken over social media once again. 

Though this could be the virus’ chance to reclaim the level of influence it had back in 2020, the Omicron rebrand feels different. Yes, the trendsetters are all talking about it on social media and yes, some in-person events and activities are being canceled again, but the overarching public response seems to be that we’re just f*cking over it. Many have decided that even the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is tired of dealing with the influence of this virus as Americans took to Twitter to participate in the “CDC says” trend of creating satirical CDC guidelines. These humorous guidelines, in response to the CDC shortening the isolation period for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 from 10 days to five, included suggestions such as “The CDC says you can stop isolating if ‘the vibes are off’” (@LukeMones) among others. 

Looking to the Future 

The future of COVID-19 as a virus will, of course, depend on a number of scientific and public health factors. Though the overall influence of the pandemic has undeniably been catastrophic, it has evolved much like any other viral internet star and has developed a reputation, much like any successful brand. We should remain optimistic that the virus will one day lose the strong influence it has had over our lives in recent years, even as we continue to cope with the pain and loss it has caused us. 

Let’s hope that the next stage of Covid will look more like an influencer getting canceled and ultimately having to delete their account. Before that happens, we might see a final attempt to rebrand and save face — perhaps something on the level of a notes app apology — but we know that would not be enough to stop us from canceling this influencer once and for all.