Question: What Is a "Meme"? What Are Examples of Modern Internet Memes?
Answer: A "meme" is a virally-transmitted cultural symbol or social idea. A meme (rhymes with "team") behaves like a flu or a cold virus, traveling from person to person quickly, but transmitting an idea instead of a lifeform. According to Cecil Adams of theStraightDope.com, the concept of memes "is either really deep, or really, really obvious".
Historically, a meme is a discrete "package of culture" that would travel via word of mouth, usually as a mesmerizing story, a fable/parable, a joke, or an expression of speech. Today, memes travel much faster than simple speech. As Internet email forwards, instant messages, and Web page links, memes now travel instantly via the Internet.
Most modern Internet memes are humor-centered (e.g. Rickrolling, Ask a Ninja, Lolcats, Domo-kun, More Cowbell, Numa Numa Dance). Humor usually reaches the most people, and is the most attractive to forward to others. But many Internet memes are also about shock-value and drama (e.g. Angry German Kid, Dogs Go to Heaven). Other memes are urban myths that tout some kind of life lesson (e.g. The Littlest Fireman, Mel Gibson and Man Without a Face, Kurt Warner). A few Internet memes are about deep content, and involve social commentary and intellectual absurdity (e.g. Flying Spaghetti Monster, Russell's Orbiting Teapot). In every case, a package of culture or personal experience spreads between people in a virus-like fashion.
The majority of Internet memes are transmitted by adolescents and post-adolescents. This is largely because these two demographics like to message, and have a playful curiousity about memes. But today, the average age of meme-transmitters has increased, as users over 30 years old discover the chuckles and humor about forwarding memes to their friends.
The "meme" word was first introduced by evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins, in 1976. "Meme" comes from the Greek word "mimema" (meaning "something imitated", American Heritage Dictionary). Dawkins described memes as a being a form of cultural propogation, a way for people to transmit social memories and cultural ideas to each other. Not unlike the way that DNA and life will spread from location to location, a meme idea will also travel from mind to mind.
The Internet, by sheer virtue of its instant communication, is how we now spread modern memes to each other's inboxes. A link to a YouTube video of Rick Astley, a file attachment with a Stars Wars Kid movie, an email signature with a Chuck Norris quote... these are a few examples of modern meme symbols and culture spreading through online media.
The bulk of Internet memes will continue to be humor and shock-value curiousities, as these grab people's attention more quickly than deeper meme content. But as users become more sophisticated in their thinking, expect memes to become progressively more intellectual and philsophical.
Examples of Modern Internet Memes:
Note: some of the following content is juvenile, and more targeted at adolescents. Some of these following memes are much more adult, and intended for more mature audiences.
Historically, a meme is a discrete "package of culture" that would travel via word of mouth, usually as a mesmerizing story, a fable/parable, a joke, or an expression of speech. Today, memes travel much faster than simple speech. As Internet email forwards, instant messages, and Web page links, memes now travel instantly via the Internet.
Most modern Internet memes are humor-centered (e.g. Rickrolling, Ask a Ninja, Lolcats, Domo-kun, More Cowbell, Numa Numa Dance). Humor usually reaches the most people, and is the most attractive to forward to others. But many Internet memes are also about shock-value and drama (e.g. Angry German Kid, Dogs Go to Heaven). Other memes are urban myths that tout some kind of life lesson (e.g. The Littlest Fireman, Mel Gibson and Man Without a Face, Kurt Warner). A few Internet memes are about deep content, and involve social commentary and intellectual absurdity (e.g. Flying Spaghetti Monster, Russell's Orbiting Teapot). In every case, a package of culture or personal experience spreads between people in a virus-like fashion.
The majority of Internet memes are transmitted by adolescents and post-adolescents. This is largely because these two demographics like to message, and have a playful curiousity about memes. But today, the average age of meme-transmitters has increased, as users over 30 years old discover the chuckles and humor about forwarding memes to their friends.
The "meme" word was first introduced by evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins, in 1976. "Meme" comes from the Greek word "mimema" (meaning "something imitated", American Heritage Dictionary). Dawkins described memes as a being a form of cultural propogation, a way for people to transmit social memories and cultural ideas to each other. Not unlike the way that DNA and life will spread from location to location, a meme idea will also travel from mind to mind.
The Internet, by sheer virtue of its instant communication, is how we now spread modern memes to each other's inboxes. A link to a YouTube video of Rick Astley, a file attachment with a Stars Wars Kid movie, an email signature with a Chuck Norris quote... these are a few examples of modern meme symbols and culture spreading through online media.
The bulk of Internet memes will continue to be humor and shock-value curiousities, as these grab people's attention more quickly than deeper meme content. But as users become more sophisticated in their thinking, expect memes to become progressively more intellectual and philsophical.
Examples of Modern Internet Memes:
Note: some of the following content is juvenile, and more targeted at adolescents. Some of these following memes are much more adult, and intended for more mature audiences.
- Nuts the Squirrel
is a Canadian critter who stole a front spot in a family photo. Today, you can "Squirrelize" your own photos to have Nuts in the foreground.
- Rickroll
A prankster meme: people will pretend to send critical business email links in emails, but are actually sending links to Rick Astley music videos from the 1980's.
- LOLcats
The absurd gallery of people attaching human behaviors and captions to photos of housecats.
- Numa Numa Dance
This chubby lip-syncher, Gary Brolsma, has won the hearts of viewers everywhere.
- Star wars Kid
The amateur-doctored video of a youngster twirling a golf ball retriever staff. This young lad eventually earned money online as people donated funds to him.
- Jizz In My Pants
(warning: adult content) From Saturday Night Live and The Lonely Island music group: a catchy song about male sexual angst.
- Russell's Orbiting Teapot
A philosophical analogy that refutes religious fanaticism.
- More Cowbell
Christopher Walken immortalized the expression "more cowbell" on Saturday Night Live. Today, "more cowbell" is a daily expression of humor.
- Chuck Norris
The preposterous exaggerations of Chuck Norris as a modern superman, often randomly inserted into email conversations for humor effect.
- Vince Shlomi
The actor/comedian/salesperson who peddles ShamWow and Slapchop products.
- Hamster dance
Catchy music with videos of small critters. Here is the original hamster dance from 1999, with a 9-second sound loop from "Whistle Stop" (a Disney movie). This clip has since spawned dozens of follow-up remixes and a top 40 song.
- Leroy Jenkins
A gamer's meme, Leroy is the rebel reckless player in a group of very serious players. He is renowned for crying "Leeeeerroyyyy Jenkins!" as his reckless warcry.
- Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
This is the parody of a Kansas Board of Education proposal. The initial proposal was for the "intelligent design" of the universe, intended to promote religious theory over evolution in Kansas. Bobby Henderson authored the Spaghetti Monster as a joke response. Here is the CNN news article on Bobby Henderson.
- Domo-Kun
A strange creature mascot for Japan's NHK television station, Domo-Kun is the humorous icon that is pasted into many disaster scenes.
- Bert is Evil
A conspiracy-theory take on Bert from Sesame Street.
- One Red Paperclip
A fellow in Saskatchewan had this outlandish idea to repeatedly trade objects online, until he was traded a house. It actually worked.
- Homestar Runner - Strongbad emails
The caustic commentaries of an animated character, "Strongbad", on reader emails.
- Dramatic Chipmunk
A very short amateur video of a quirky rodent making gestures.
- ROFLCON
Semi-intellectual ramblings of Chris Onstand in a blog.
- Angry German Kid
The shocking video of a young online gamer having an outlandish temper tantrum while playing Unreal Tournament.
- Ask a Ninja
The street-humor website of Kent Nichols and Douglas Sarine of Los Angeles.
- Dogs Go to Heaven
Hoax or not, this photo essay of competing churches is a favorite modern meme.
