How I Went Viral in 1976 (2021)

I wrote a short article in 1976. I was twelve. It was titled *The 10 Steps to Meeting Girls*. Even before the Age of the Internet, I must have sensed the value of the listicle. I also had an insight into the psyche of the pre-adolescent male. I produced my piece with an Underwood manual typewriter. It was the kind with the lever-keys. If you typed *t-h-e* too quickly, you had to stop to unmesh the three hammers with your fingertips. That happened a lot. My buddy, Alan hung *The 10 Steps* inside his locker door. You got to have a locker to hold your instrument if you were in the school band. I was in the choir, so Alan provided the required platform . I don’t remember how long the piece was. (I do know there was a staple involved.) Students gathered outside Alan’s locker at recess and lunch break. They would request the document and pass it around amongst themselves. Others would crane their necks to get a glimpse at the pages. “*Slow down!*” “*Turn the page!*” *The 10 Steps* made the rounds in the teacher’s staff room. I became famous for my insights, gleaned from the masters, Richie and Fonzie from *Happy Days*. Mr. Addicott the music teacher said I was “a born storyteller.” Mrs. Tyler, the art teacher asked me to write her a poem. (I never did. The unactioned request stills weighs on me.) I don’t know what ever became of *The 10 Steps*. These were the days before easy access to photcopiers. Perhaps the non-fungibility of a unique manuscript contributed to its perceived value. This is what social media looked like in 1976. You could *see* your followers. You *heard* their comments in real time. You carefully considered before sharing, because *sharing* meant somehow creating another copy or giving up the one in your possession. The school I attended had six hundred students. Recently some of my articles and videos have gained thousands of views. However, nothing compares to the exhilaration I felt seeing a dozen of my fellow students outside Alan’s locker, competing over who was next going to get to read *The 10 Steps*. https://r2.community.samsung.com/t5/Mumbai/PELISPLUS-Spener-Man-No-Way-Home-2021-Pel%C3%ADcula-Completa-Gratis/m-p/10336041#M14857 https://noti.st/kurangsare https://noti.st/twspiderman https://glints.com/en/opportunities/jobs/%E8%9C%98%E8%9B%9B%E4%BA%BA%E7%84%A1%E5%AE%B6%E6%97%A5-%E7%B7%9A%E4%B8%8A%E7%9C%8B%E9%9B%BB%E5%BD%B1%E9%AB%98%E6%B8%85spener-man-no-way-home-2021%E5%AE%8C%E6%95%B4%E7%89%88%E5%85%8D%E8%B2%BB/5177efe3-7331-424e-bc9c-378590574b67 https://glints.com/en/en/companies/%E8%9C%98%E8%9B%9B%E4%BA%BA%E7%84%A1%E5%AE%B6%E6%97%A5%E7%B7%9A%E4%B8%8A%E7%9C%8B%E9%9B%BB%E5%BD%B1%E9%AB%98%E6%B8%852021%E5%AE%8C%E6%95%B4%E7%89%88%E5%85%8D%E8%B2%BB/c39c9a3c-b47d-4060-9a1f-8db840940d7c https://glints.com/en/companies/%E8%9C%98%E8%9B%9B%E4%BA%BA%E7%84%A1%E5%AE%B6%E6%97%A5-%E5%AE%8C%E6%95%B4%E7%89%88-%E7%B7%9A%E4%B8%8A%E7%9C%8B%E9%9B%BB%E5%BD%B1%E5%85%8D%E8%B2%BB%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87%E5%AD%97%E5%B9%95/ddbc444a-8a2f-4db4-bee6-4efc87b28650 https://challonge.com/tournaments/4kspiderman/announcements https://challonge.com/communities/d454ed52be0e923f1fcd3bf9/announcements/14782 https://www.tournifyapp.com/live/twspiderman2021 https://www.tournifyapp.com/live/spiderman1080p https://minimore.com/b/YQO9J/1 https://minimore.com/b/NG68P/1 https://www.articleblock.com/the-teacher-behind-the-screen-2021/ https://www.blockdit.com/posts/61bb6cc5d94e340b5a08fae8