Sara Critchfield

Drawing on her work at Upworthy, Sara Critchfield lays out how switching from tactical questions (how do I make this go viral?) to questions that solve humanity’s most pressing problems (what’s worthy of going viral?) will change the face of the news. The truth is that no media organization can "make" something viral without the audience's participation! In this talk, specifically geared toward college audiences, she shares her insights on virality, the future of media, and finding a meaningful career path. Why does important stuff get buried on the web? Why is it so hard to market good content? And how can you solve problems and make a difference in any organization? It’s all about divergent thinking, she says—a concept that is applicable to students entering any field. You have to ask bigger, better, and different questions than everyone else in your industry—then you have to figure out how to answer those questions. Critchfield equips students with the tools they need to ask, and answer, the questions that will lead them to a valuable and successful career.