Aura.

Aura refers to the emotion that viewers of a work of art feel when they encounter that respective piece of art. For every person who encounters that work of art, each feels a different aura because of different life experiences that brought them to that specific place. We all want to feel something and we all make our own interpretations of everything we see. We want to hang onto moments and hold them as close to as we possibly can (Benjamin, p. 223).

In the modern era, the cyber-aura refers to that similar emotion of wanting to bring things closer, to feel part of something. When something goes viral, everybody involved in that process experiences their own unique cyber-aura of the Numa Numa video, the Bed Intruder Song, “Dick in a Box,” or whatever else has become the flavor of the week. We all gather round – all over the world – and share three minutes of our lives, so we can share experiences in the cyber age.

Benjamin, Walter: Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner technischen Reproduzierbarkeit. In: Illuminationen. Ausgewählte Schriften. Edited by Siegfried Unseld. Frankfurt: suhrkamp 1961.