VIRALITY BREAKDOWN 89 - © BY NAPOLIFY
Why flipping spiritual rituals into self-roasts hooks both believers and skeptics for virality
This is our Content Breakdown series, where we analyze viral posts to uncover the psychological triggers and strategic elements that made them explode. We break down the storytelling techniques, attention hooks, and engagement drivers that turned ordinary content into high-performing assets. Whether it's curiosity loops, pattern interrupts, or emotional resonance, we dissect the mechanics behind virality so you can apply them to your own content. We've already analyzed over 500 viral posts, click here to access them all.
What's the context?
Let's first understand the audience's perspective with a quick recap before breaking things down.
The moment you land on the Reel, it doesn’t shout, it whispers. Aiden London lies motionless, eyes half-rolled, sage in hand, and the caption delivers a punchline so smooth you almost miss it.
“POV: Imagine burning sage and you pass out cause you are the evil spirit.” That’s it. No movement. No flourish. No TikTok dance choreography or exaggerated lip-syncing. Just stillness and smoke. And yet, it’s garnered over 45 million views and 1.7 million likes on Instagram alone. The kind of numbers that make platform engineers, and content strategists alike, sit up and take notice. There’s an alchemy at play here, a quiet performance wrapped in absurdity, calibrated perfectly to the rhythms of the algorithm and the psyche of the scroll-fatigued viewer.
Let’s not pretend this was accidental. Aiden’s content sense is clearly informed by a deep read of digital culture. The reversal joke, casting the user as the "evil spirit," plays into the ongoing identity games so prevalent in online spirituality spaces.
You’re both the seeker and the saboteur. That contradiction mirrors the tension many feel when dabbling in rituals they half-believe in. There’s a trace of memetic theory here, the kind of idea that’s simple enough to replicate, layered enough to discuss, and weird enough to remember. The setup doesn't just get a laugh, it unlocks social proof through shares and tags. (“This is literally you,” etc.) When content becomes a mirror, it multiplies.
Audio is another masterstroke. The chosen sound is neither fully melancholic nor fully whimsical, it floats somewhere in between. This ambiguity primes the viewer for emotional contradiction, a technique rooted in the psychology of cognitive dissonance. You expect peace, you get chaos. You expect clarity, you get comedy. And that emotional bait and switch, it’s addictive.
Combine that with a seamless visual loop, no defined start or end, and you’ve got what growth strategists would call a dopamine drip loop: just enough frictionless absurdity to make you rewatch three, four, five times before you even realize it.
And here's the quiet brilliance, everything unnecessary is stripped away. One frame, one joke, one sound. The simplicity is strategic. It creates what media theorists might describe as a micro-stage, an uncluttered canvas where the user can project their own meaning. In a feed drowning in noise, this kind of restraint hits like a pattern interrupt. Not because it’s flashy, but because it’s still. Stillness that makes you stop. Humor that makes you reflect. And a caption that feels like an inside joke with your own subconscious.
What happens next? We break it down. Frame by frame. Layer by layer. And the deeper you go, the more it makes sense.
Why is this content worth studying?
Here's why we picked this content and why we want to break it down for you.
-
Ultra Low Effort, High ImpactIt's shot in one take, with no cuts or movement, proving that minimal effort can still generate massive attention when the concept is sharp.
-
Rare Viral StillnessIt goes viral without motion or dialogue, which is unusual on fast-scrolling platforms and shows how silence can cut through noise.
-
Cultural Trend HijackIt taps into a modern ritual (burning sage) that's both sincerely practiced and widely memed, making it immediately recognizable across audiences.
-
Perfect LoopabilityThe seamless loop means viewers can't tell where it starts or ends, which is powerful for increasing watch time and repeat views.
-
Satirizing Without MockingIt walks the line between participating in and poking fun at wellness culture, a smart move for brands who want to be in on the joke without being cynical.
What caught the attention?
By analyzing what made people stop scrolling, you learn how to craft more engaging posts yourself.
- Motionless SceneWhen you see a completely still human figure on your screen—no camera movement, no gestures—your brain hesitates. It contrasts with the hyperactive pace of most short-form content. That visual pause creates a psychological pause. It feels like a glitch, so you stop to figure it out.
- Caption-as-PunchlineThe text gives you the joke before the video even kicks in. That immediate framing flips the “watch to find out” model into “read then watch to confirm,” which creates instant clarity. On TikTok and Reels, fast framing like this is often what keeps people past the 0.8-second drop-off.
- Genre FlipYou expect sage-burning videos to be calming, spiritual, or aesthetic. This one positions it as a punchline. That unexpected shift in genre primes you for curiosity because you're watching something familiar behave differently.
- Deadpan TensionThe guy's frozen posture and eye position create tension. Is he kidding or not? That ambiguity pulls you in. It forces you to study his face longer than you normally would in a 6-second scroll.
- Offbeat Sound ChoiceWhen you hear a dreamy, emotional sound and see a completely absurd visual, your senses clash. That contrast forces a moment of confusion, and confusion is sticky.
Like Factor
- Some people press like because they want to silently admit this post caught them off guard and made them laugh.
- Some people press like because they want to show support for creators who make low-effort but clever content.
- Some people press like because they want to align themselves with a cultural moment or trend without explicitly commenting on it.
- Some people press like because they want to reward content that loops well and respects the viewer's attention span.
Comment Factor
- Some people comment because they find the post genuinely hilarious and want to express laughter.
- Some people comment because they relate to the joke on a personal or cultural level.
- Some people comment because they are playfully flirting or expressing affection toward the creator.
- Some people comment because they are playfully moralizing or reacting from a religious perspective.
Share Factor
- Some people share because they want to tag someone who treats every breakup like a full moon ritual.
- Some people share because they want to laugh at a culture they relate to without fully distancing themselves from it.
- Some people share because they want to introduce their followers to a new kind of deadpan, anti-performance comedy.
- Some people share because they want to offer comic relief in a feed full of heavy, hyper-earnest content.
- Some people share because they want to connect with others over the idea that we all might secretly be the problem.
How to replicate?
We want our analysis to be as useful and actionable as possible, that's why we're including this section.
-
1
Swap the Ritual for an Industry-Specific Process
Instead of burning sage, replace the ritual with a routine action from your niche—like “resetting the router,” “clearing your inbox,” or “doing a skincare cleanse.” The twist: the action meant to “fix” things accidentally exposes the user as the problem. This works well for tech brands, productivity tools, wellness apps, or even B2B SaaS companies aiming for relatability. For it to land, the action must be widely recognized within the target audience and have a cultural or emotional charge (otherwise, the reversal won't feel clever). -
2
Flip a Common Customer Belief or Pain Point
Take something customers typically say or believe (“I'm doing everything right but it's not working”) and stage it visually—deadpan, still, cinematic—as if they just realized they're the reason it's failing. For example, a marketing platform could show someone slumped over a dashboard with the caption, “POV: when you blame the algorithm but never post.” This works for service providers, coaches, and educators who want to educate with humor. But it only works if the joke is honest and doesn't come off as patronizing. -
3
Create a Series Around “POV: You're the Problem” Scenarios
Turn the idea into a recurring brand bit: every week, spotlight a different ironic fail moment where the user unknowingly sabotages their goals. Think: “POV: you're doing a digital detox but can't stop checking your detox app.” This approach is great for creators and brands with a consistent posting cadence who want to own a repeatable format. The challenge is that each scenario must feel fresh and emotionally accurate—if it becomes too formulaic or forced, the audience will disengage.
Implementation Checklist
Please do this final check before hitting "post".
-
You must open with an unexpected visual or tonal contradiction, because scroll-stopping content always disrupts the viewer's prediction loop within the first 0.8 seconds.
-
You should center the joke around self-awareness or gentle self-drag, because modern audiences reward content that mirrors their own contradictions.
-
You must keep the pacing slow and visually still, because the deadpan tension creates a “pause effect” that breaks up high-motion feeds and invites deeper focus.
-
You should use a widely recognized object, ritual, or trope, because cultural familiarity is what makes the reversal instantly readable.
-
You must frame the punchline with an on-screen caption, because users often watch on mute and need immediate context to engage before they scroll.
-
You could pick a highly taggable scenario or archetype, because social tagging drives secondary reach through network exposure.
-
You could design your version to speak to a specific niche or subculture, because high specificity often converts better than general relatability in viral formats.
-
You could make it part of a recurring series, because familiarity builds anticipation and increases the odds of repeat viewers becoming followers.
-
You could lean into low-fi aesthetics or home-made environments, because the algorithm often favors content that mimics native creator energy over polished ads.
Necessary
Optional
Implementation Prompt
A prompt you can use with any LLM if you want to adapt this content to your brand.
[BEGINNING OF THE PROMPT]
You are an expert in social media virality and creative content strategy.
Below is a brief description of a viral social media post and why it works. Then I'll provide information about my own audience, platform, and typical brand voice. Finally, I have a set of questions and requests for you to answer.
1) Context of the Viral Post
A successful viral post featured creator Aiden London lying motionless on a grey rug with a burning sage stick in hand. The caption read: “POV: imagine burning sage and you pass out cause you are the evil spirit.” The video was dead silent, visually still, and used a dreamy TikTok audio loop to create surreal tension. The absurdity of the joke, paired with its stillness and spiritual reference, made it scroll-stopping, rewatchable, and deeply sharable.
Key highlights of why it worked:
- The concept flipped a well-known ritual (cleansing) on its head with a self-aware punchline
- The deadpan stillness interrupted feed patterns and held attention
- The on-screen caption delivered the joke immediately for muted viewers
- The dreamy, ironic soundtrack created emotional dissonance that deepened engagement
- It looped perfectly, increasing repeat views and algorithmic visibility
2) My Own Parameters
[Audience: describe your target audience (age, interests, occupation, etc.)]
[Typical Content / Brand Voice: explain what kind of posts you usually create]
[Platform: which social platform you plan to use, e.g. TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, etc.]
3) My Questions & Requests
Feasibility & Conditions:
- Could a post inspired by the “POV: I am the problem” reversal format work for my specific audience and platform?
- Under what emotional triggers or rituals would it be most successful?
- Are there any tonal risks or cultural sensitivities I should avoid when adapting this ironic, self-deprecating format?
Finding a Relatable Story:
- Please suggest ways to brainstorm a similar reversal or cultural trope in my niche (wellness, tech, parenting, productivity, etc.).
- What are the signs that a ritual or habit in my category is “ripe” for ironic subversion?
Implementation Tips:
- Hook: How to stop the scroll using visual contradiction or emotional stillness.
- Cultural Cue: Suggest a common object, behavior, or trend that could function like the sage stick—symbolic but meme-able.
- Emotional Trigger: Which everyday contradictions or micro-failures in my space are funny and relatable?
- Formatting: Ideal structure for visuals, text overlays, audio tone, and loop length on my platform.
- Call to Action (CTA): How to subtly prompt viewers to tag or share without sounding like I'm fishing for engagement.
Additional Guidance:
- Recommend phrasing, tone, or performance do's and don'ts to match my brand's voice while still using the viral formula effectively.
- Offer 2–3 alternate “POV reversal” ideas if the spiritual cleansing metaphor doesn't fit my product or message.
4) Final Output Format
- A brief feasibility analysis (could it work for me, under what conditions).
- A short list of story or idea prompts I could use.
- A step-by-step action plan (hook, visual, audio, caption, CTA).
- Platform-specific formatting tips for style, pacing, and algorithmic visibility.
- Optional: Alternative angles or creative setups if the original metaphor doesn't fit my brand context.
[END OF PROMPT]