Memes 101

Since I was a child, memes have been a part of my digital life experience. From Nyan cat to the troll face, memes have someway shaped what my humour and ideology is like today. With this in mind, I was very excited to tackle the topic of memes and its evolution into a social-cultural tool of communication. In fact, upon research for this project, I stumbled  across information and facts about memes that I found very interesting.

Now, what exactly is a meme?

According to the Miriam-Webster dictionary, a meme is “an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.”

Memes are usually portrayed in the form of a humorous image, video, piece of text, gif, etc.

A standard meme that can be found across all social media platforms. Picture memes are the most popular type of memes because it can be used in various contexts. These memes are often used as a form of expression.

This is an example of a meme portrayed in Gif/text style. This type of meme is especially popular on sites such as Facebook and Instagram. 

Where did memes come from?

The term “meme” was first coined by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his book, “The Selfish Gene” published in 1976. For Dawkins, the meme was an example of a self-replicating unit with potential significance in explaining how human behavior and cultural evolution functions. However, memes have now been reappropriated by the citizens of the internet into the funny images and gifs that we see today.

Luckily or unluckily, Dawkins have become the subject of many memes himself.

What is the history of memes?

While memes have been on the internet since I was a child, the history of memes actually extent further than that. In fact, one of the first viral memes appeared before I was even born

Pre-Meme Memes (late 1990’s) 

These memes were created using flash animation and began viral via email chain emails

the “dancing baby” or “baby cha cha” was one of the earliest memes to appear on the internet. It was originally a data and files test, but eventually became a viral hit in 1996  due to people sending it to one another via email. 

Another example of an early viral meme called “the hamster dance.”

 

4Chan Memes (2003-2005) 

The infamous “rick rolled” meme became popular due to many 4chan users pranking one another by putting the Rick Roll’s “Never gonna give you up” in unsuspected videos. 

Youtube Memes (2005-2010)

Text Memes (2011-2012)

These memes were especially popular during Facebook’s reign as the “it” social media platform. These text memes often include

Advice animal meme: This was a series of memes featuring different type of animals that would then provide the context and deliver the joke

bad luck Brian meme 

Dank Memes ( 2013-Present)

These memes are shared at a rate faster than any others before. The memes are quick-witted and often mocking current political news, culture and trends. These memes are often found on the home page of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This “triggered” meme is often used when someone is feeling attacked or offended.

A meme referring to the news of Harambe the gorilla’s death. His death became a viral subject among net civilians and was the subject of many memes and debates across all platforms. 

 

-Rebecca Fu