FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) – As first reported by 5NEWS earlier this week, a woman in Fayetteville was arrested on suspicion of stealing makeup from a local beauty shop. Since then, the story has gone viral on media sites across the globe, sparking the question of what makes a story go viral.
With more than 10,000 shares on 5NEWSONLINE.com and 200,000 page views, the story has reached a sizable audience online.
“When you are in Fayetteville and something comes up in Fayetteville, it`s kind of like, oh, that`s kind of cool, so you have to share it with people,” said Anna Davis, a local woman.
Some tell 5NEWS that they believe the booking photograph alone has fueled the popularity of the story. It shows the suspect, Brandy Allen, with colorful eye shadow, shortly after being arrested on suspicion of stealing eye shadow from a local Ulta Beauty Store.
“Everyone around here was looking at it, so maybe other people would get a hit out of it,” Davis said.
Allen, 31, was arrested after employees at the Ulta Beauty Store in Fayetteville said she was grabbing handfuls of make-up. She was confronted in the store and then taken into custody.
Her booking photograph, grabbing the attention of millions across the world, has been featured on websites such as The Smoking Gun, Huffington Post, The New York Daily News, Yahoo and more.
Online, more than four million views have come to the 5NEWS Facebook page item on the arrest.
“Those small stories, when it gets very viral, they want to share that because it is something interesting, and not something you hear every day,” said Luiza Carvalho, a local woman.
Allen faces charges of shoplifting and disorderly conduct. Both potential charges are misdemeanors, as she is accused of stealing $144 of makeup.
Some attribute the story going viral to a change in pace within the news world, heading toward strange news.
“Sometimes I feel the news is really negative. It is nice to kind of change the subject every once in a while,” Carvalho said.
Allen was released from the Washington County Detention Center on an $830 bond. Her next court date is set for September 26.