Who is meme

When someone says meme nowadays, they're probably referring to an internet meme. This is the common usage we'll discuss here and builds on Dawkins's use of the term. With the instant communication that services like Twitter, Reddit, and similar allow us to perform online, it's no wonder that memes spread so quickly. Often, memes go through small alterations like the game of telephone.

Sometimes, memes even beget new memes. What's fascinating is that the nature of online memes means we can trace their origins, evolution, and changes in popularity. Now that we have a simple meme definition, we'll look at some meme examples to help you better understand how memes originate and spread. Before we continue, we should address a common wording mistake. Many people use the word meme to refer to any image that has text overlaid on it.

For example, here's a random image of a guy using a computer with some text I added:. The proper term for this is an image macro ; this is not a meme. Why not? Because this hasn't spread across the internet.

It's just a silly image I made. If you posted this on Reddit, nobody would recognize the format. Some image macros are memes, but not all memes are image macros as we'll discuss below. And someone creating an image macro and sharing it doesn't make it a meme. This classic meme plays on the internet's love of cats.

Its format is simple: one or more cats, usually in some adorable situation, with overlaid text. The wording is intentionally poor English that now has its own name: lolspeak. Here's one of many examples of the Advice Animals subgenre of image macros. Advice Animals refers to an image macro template that revolves around some character trait of the animal or person in the image.

In this case, Condescending Wonka is exactly as it sounds. The meme features patronizing statements from Wonka. Gangnam Style is one of the internet's best-known viral videos.

It released in July and quickly spread like wildfire, racking up more than nine million views per day for two months during the height of its popularity. Everyone from mainstream news outlets to celebrities was talking about it before long. Thousands of people created reaction videos, parodies, and more.

It was the first YouTube video to hit both one billion and two billion views. In fact, it had so many views that it surpassed the memory YouTube had for its view counter at the time. And it's still one of YouTube's most-watched videos. Other meme-TV show favorites include The Office :. More TV shows that generate memes include:. There's an endless variety of memes, ranging from mundane, everyday topics to critical life and world events.

More are created and shared every day, and new material is constantly available. If you are inspired by an image or video you come across, make your own meme and see if it resonates with others.

Visit Know Your Meme to research a meme or get inspiration. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content.

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Lifewire Technology Review Board Member. Christine Baker is a marketing consultant with experience working for a variety of clients. Her expertise includes social media, web development, and graphic design. Article reviewed on Aug 07, Tweet Share Email.

In This Article. The Origins of the Term 'Meme'. What Makes a Meme. General Humor Memes. Darker-Humored Memes. Social Memes. Conversational Memes. World Event Memes. TV Show Memes. The internet just couldn't help itself after images surfaced of a little boy mowing the lawn at the White House completely ignoring Trump. The kid was apparently so focused on the job that he didn't notice Trump when he came out to greet him, forcing Trump to yell loudly over the sound of the lawnmower and making for some great meme fuel.

People began photoshopping the exit sign exit 12 to say comical things that one might swerve off the highway in order to get to. Written by: Katherine Gallagher.

Republish this story. Distracted boyfriend. Expanding brain. Young Thug at computer. First World problems. Change my mind. Is this a? Real name Google searches. Futurama Fry. Weird flex but OK. This is fine. FBI agent. Screenshot: me. Squinting woman. A Star is Born. Angry Patrick. By age Don't say it. Elon Musk. Mocking Spongebob. Roll Safe.

Thank u, next. Let's get this bread. Comics and Memes. Surprised pikachu. Condescending Willy Wonka. Jason Momoa sneaking up on Henry Cavill. Exhausted Spongebob. Classical art memes. World's most interesting man. Guy blinking nervously. Hard to swallow pills.