I created JUST SCREAM on a whim. Then, nearly a month after it publicly launched, it went viral. How did this happen?

It started when a former colleague messaged me to say that the project had been covered by Boing Boing. Then it took off on Reddit. An Italian newsletter picked it up. Russian, Greek, German, and French websites. TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram. I got interview requests from reporters around the world. I was on live TV in Sacramento, California.

And during the height of this media attention, I was listening to hundreds or thousands of scream recordings a day, screening them for the website. “Why?!” I asked myself, amused, perplexed, and nearly overwhelmed by the wave of interest and seemingly endless screaming.

Thankfully, the wave has died down to a simmer. I built out a few new features, including playlists and links to individual scream recordings. Now with the site more-or-less stable, I have started to reflect on the past few weeks and look ahead to what will become of the project when I close the phone line on January 21, 2021.

What I’ve Learned So Far

  • There are many, many reasons why people call and leave a recording. Most seem to call out of curiosity. Others are looking for a way to share their struggles.
  • Different kinds of calls come in waves, no doubt due to the project spreading among social networks. Every once in a while, for example, I’ll get a group of gamers calling in and venting about Cold War. Or I’ll get a group of callers who aren’t quite sure how the site is supposed to work.
  • My callers from Europe seem more interested than Americans in screaming as it relates to mental health.
  • Many callers are more interested in hearing other people scream than they are in screaming themselves.

Questions I’m Still Wondering About

  • How can I preserve this project in a creative, reflective format?
  • How can I learn from this project and its success when I build my next piece?
  • What about the site and its message resonates most deeply with callers?

I will continue to ponder these and more questions. I know I’ll be reflecting a lot on this project as it continues to evolve over the next month or so.