77 million views: The video that got all of Thailand talking

There are 56.6 million internet users in Thailand. But a single viral video made by a distressed wife who caught her husband in bed with another woman managed to draw 77 million views within less than a day, before the wife took it down for legal reasons.

According to ThairathTV, the woman had tried unsuccessfully to reach her husband by phone on Tuesday evening. So, she went to the house where she made the painful discovery — and filmed it, along with her outraged reaction.

Within hours, all of the trending hashtags on X in Thailand were about that video. Three objects featured in the clip, a green bucket lid, a Doraemon pillow and a pink bedsheet quickly became an internet meme.

The Doraemon pillow and the green bucket lid, the current stars of the internet. (Photo: ซ้อเปา - เรื่องนี้ต้องใส่ใจ)

The woman was also invited onto one of the country’s most popular television programmes, Hone-Krasae, on Wednesday to talk about what happened.

So, why did this video become so popular overnight?

Put it down to evolution, something the operators of social media sites have learned, to their profit. We humans are simply wired to focus on negativity. According to Psychology Today, negative news of conflicts, scandals and crises tends to keep us engaged more.

Psychologically, the popularity of the video and the follow-up news can be best explained by the German word schadenfreude — the experience of enjoyment derived from seeing or hearing about the troubles of others.

Someone reading or hearing about infidelity — as long as it doesn’t involve their own spouse — often develops a sense of superiority after consuming such news.

Online platforms also invite people to be not just passive consumers of news but commenters. Some make fun of the situation, others preach, and the comments section fills up quickly.

Moreover, the video portrayed the husband and the other woman being verbally assaulted. Seeing wrongdoers being punished creates a sense of satisfaction from seeing justice delivered.

Visually, there’s nothing like unclothed people to pique people’s attention. Adding to the situational irony — the misplaced bright green bucket lid (with no bucket to be seen), a Doraemon pillow and the eye-catching pink sheet — the video has visual elements that make it memorable.

In the end, it cannot be denied that despite all the jokes and memes stemming from the situation, what the video portrays is emotionally intense and deeply unfortunate for the wife, a reality that, amid the humour and schadenfreude, also stirs a sense of sympathy.

References

https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/putting-psychology-into-practice/202502/why-were-drawn-to-bad-news

https://www.beartai.com/read/1500940/

https://www.thecut.com/2022/10/why-are-we-still-so-scandalized-by-cheating.html