Article: Memes (Friday W10, T3)

 

Memes

Information sourced from digitaltrends.com

What is a meme?

An evolutionary biologist (Richard Dawkins in 1976) blended the ancient Greek word ‘mimeme’—meaning something imitated—with the English word ‘gene’, to set the stage for LOLcats, Success Kid, Rickrolling, and so, so much more.

Essential Meaning of meme:

1 -  an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from one person to another in a culture

2 - an amusing or interesting picture, video, etc., that is spread widely through the Internet e.g. a funny picture of a cat that quickly became an Internet meme

Memes change all the time. Nobody knows or understands every single meme that exists. There are simply too many, and they can often be too personal to the individuals creating and sharing them. Still, there are some common elements that can help you understand them.

What makes a meme a meme?

Even if memes seem impossible to understand, chances are you’ve come across at least one over the years that’s made sense to you. Whether you took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge, have a “Keep Calm” mug at home, or have ever used the words “Fail” or “Winning,” then you’ve participated in a meme. 

You found out about it through word of mouth, you understood it, you changed its context, and you took it for your own use. And these are the key components (parts) of what makes a meme a meme.

Context can have a huge impact on what a meme means as well or how relevant it is to the recipient (person receiving it). Memes can also impart significantly more information than simple text alone.