Memes: A History

Memes: A History BY EMEKA IKECHUKWU

Throughout recent pop culture, there is one thing that everyone is talking about, thinking about, and getting into. Entire genres of music have died off, and clothes have gone from trendy to revolting, but one thing still stands. Memes.

A meme or “internet meme,, to be specific, is defined as “an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by non-genetic means, especially imitation” as stated by author Richard Dawkins in his book “The Stolen Gene”, according to Wired UK Magazine. Memes are usually funny images,

show Lazy Town, in which the late Stefan Karl Stefansson plays the antagonist of the show, Robbie Rotten. Robbie and his henchmen try to prove that they are capable villains and try to capture a superhero. Another important meme is the “Aight imma head out” meme. The meme depicts popular cartoon character SpongeBob leaving a room with the caption “Aight, imma head out.” This has become an extremely popular saying, especially among

We are number one meme. Source: Lazy Town youtube channel.

ing ordinary kids from having no income to making thousands of dollars. Many channels on the video-sharing platform Youtube have also gained great popularity turning Youtube nobodies into channels with thousands of subscribers and millions of views, just from reviewing memes on popular meme sites. Even music and the artists that make them gain a notable boost or following if the song is “Tiktokable” or catchy and shareable. Businesses, such as the fast-food restaurant Wendy’s, have also gotten attention as a result of meme culture and riding the meme wave. Wendy’s is notorious for posting memes and jokes as well as responding to comments using their official twitter account. Here is what students here on campus have to say about memes. Neal Nelson (12), when asked if memes are important he said “Yes, they give people a way to destress and get a break from life.” Elijah Clark (9th) says that memes are “A joke on a media plat

Pepe the Frog meme. Source: BBC News.

videos or phrases that encourage people to share and repost them across the internet. Memes are also pictures with words and captions that are made to express people’s emotions.

The word “meme” was originally invented by an author named Richard Dawkins, who used it to explain how ideas replicate and spread, this is also called memetics according to Merriam Webster Dictionary. Popular memes include the “We are number one” meme, which recently won the Grandayy award for meme of the decade. The Grandayy meme awards started in 2018 when popular YouTuber Grandayy decided to get together some of the world’s leading experts on memes and have them host an award ceremony for the latest and greatest memes. Because we have recently entered a new decade, the Category for meme of the decade was added. The meme contains a scene from popular teens. The phrase is often said when one feels uncomfortable or unhappy with a situation and wants to exit the situation or environment. Memes have been circulating on the internet for many years, but first started to become relevant in the late 2000s as well as the early 2010s. One of the most notable memes form that time is the “Pepe the Frog” meme which portrays a green frog with human-like emotions and a silly face. However, although the meme is very iconic, it has been met with much controversy. The meme has been accused of being used to promote alt-right as well as anti-semitic (white supremacist) ideals. In 2016 the Anti Defamation League (ADL) added it to their hate symbol database, however, they did state that most uses of the Pepe meme are harmless and not made to promote alt-right or antisemitic views. Many other memes have been accused of being hateful or racist, although, for the most part, memes are generally used for good, harmless fun.

Many people and businesses have benefited greatly from meme culture. The platform TikTok has grown exponentially due to the constantly increasing demand for memes. The funny dances and videos that have come out have literally changed lives, skyrocket

form shared by others.” Memes are a phenomenon, a whole different species. But despite all this, their core purpose has never changed. That purpose: Give people a laugh and, if you are lucky, maybe your meme will go viral. However, some people have strayed away from this purpose, using memes to promote bad things suc h as racism and violence. If you are posting or sharing memes, make sure to think before you post.