This is conjecture at best, snake oil at worst (considering this is an agency that sells its research.) The data points are interesting, but the conclusions simply do not follow from the evidence. There's an implicit assumption that the actual 'value' of the videos is the same, that the content is ultimately fungible and what matters is how the content was originally shared and by what communities. However, to even the most casual observer, the 'memes' are two very different things.<p>The analysis claims that Gangnam Style had a "leader" and Harlem Shake was distributed. However, this is a kind of warping of the fact that Gangnam style was viral and satisfying in its own right, whereas much of Harlem Shake's value came from the parody videos and the fact it was a "thing people are doing."<p>There's no mention of the fact that Gangnam Style could and did make it to the radio in recognizable form. There's no mention of the length of the video, the season they were released, the "singability" of the content, the production value, actions of pr/production agencies, or countless other factors that could have a larger effect than the identified parameters.