A one-in-thousands digital coincidence that demonstrates just how connected we all are
When I was at the Mall of America a few years ago, I took a video of some people on the log ride and posted it to YouTube so I could embed it here on my site. Over the years I’ve seen lots of interesting things by having this blog and this is definitely one of them. Who would think the person I’m taking a video of in public would actually see it? Not that it is the most exciting video, but 14,523 people for some reason have watched it. The Internet is awesome…
But what makes this truly remarkable is just how statistically unlikely this coincidence actually is. Let’s break down the math on this digital needle-in-a-haystack moment.
Calculating the Improbability
The Mall of America attracts approximately 40 million visitors annually. My random 2-minute video captured perhaps 3-4 identifiable people on the log ride. What are the odds that one of those specific people would:
- Be a YouTube user
- Search for videos of the Mall of America log ride
- Find this particular video among potentially hundreds of similar videos
- Recognize themselves in the footage
- Take the time to comment on it
Looking at the 14,523 views this video received, and assuming there are about 3 identifiable people in the log ride, the simplest calculation gives us 3 in 14,523 odds that one of those specific people would see this video. That’s approximately 1 in 4,841 – already quite rare. But that assumes all viewers had an equal chance of being in the video, which isn’t realistic.
A more nuanced approach would consider how people find videos. If “Flutegirl102030” specifically searched for “Mall of America log ride” plus an approximate date range, she might have encountered maybe 50-100 videos matching that search. The probability then becomes closer to 3 in 100, or about a 3% chance of finding this specific video among search results.
Then we must factor in the probability she would watch the video, recognize herself, and decide to comment. If we estimate that combination at roughly 50%, the overall probability becomes about 1.5%, or approximately 1 in 67.
Even with these more optimistic assumptions, we’re talking about an event with odds similar to rolling a specific number on a die three times in a row. Pretty remarkable!
Our Interconnected Digital World
This unlikely connection illustrates something fascinating about our modern digital landscape. Twenty years ago, if you filmed strangers on vacation, the chances of them ever seeing that footage would be essentially zero. Today, the internet creates invisible threads connecting seemingly random moments and people.
The implications are both wonderful and slightly unsettling. On one hand, it’s amazing that Flutegirl102030 could discover herself in this random moment captured by a stranger. On the other hand, it reminds us that our public moments might be more permanent and accessible than we realize.
With over 500 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute and billions of users, the platform creates countless opportunities for these unlikely connections. Most go undiscovered, which makes this particular coincidence all the more special.
Small World, Big Internet
So there you have it – mathematical proof that Flutegirl102030’s discovery of herself in my random Mall of America log ride video is genuinely remarkable. It’s a reminder of how technology can create unexpected connections across time and space.
And speaking of unexpected connections, I wonder if Flutegirl102030 has any idea that her simple comment “thats me in the first log!” would itself become the subject of further analysis and discussion. The internet keeps layering these digital coincidences one on top of another, creating an ever more intricately connected web of human experiences.
Join the Conversation
Have you ever experienced a similar digital coincidence? Or found yourself unexpectedly appearing in someone else’s social media or videos? Share your story in the comments below!