A meme (/miːm/ ⓘ; MEEM)[1][2][3] is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme.[4] A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols, or practices, that can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena with a mimicked theme. Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues to genes in that they self-replicate, mutate, and respond to selective pressures.[5]

merc@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 354d (9 replies)

That's the Dawkins version of a meme, not an Internet meme. An internet meme is typically defined differently:

an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media

An internet meme is a unique form of expression that relies on images and other types of text-based media to create jokes or commentary about specific events.

a humorous image, video, piece of text, or GIF that is spread across the internet, typically on social media, and often with slight variations.

By some definitions some viral videos would count, if they're viral because they're funny. By those definitions, if they're viral because they're critical news like the George Floyd murder, they're not memes because they're not humorous.

Personally, I don't think it's an internet meme unless:

It's intended to be funny or at least wryly amusing. So, serious news items or shocking things don't count.
It is remixed. A funny viral video isn't a meme until people start remixing it.

What made image macros into internet memes was people taking the same macro and using different text. Otherwise it's just a viral item of internet context.

My definition is not necessarily "right", but I like it.

Alaknar@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 354d (8 replies)

All three definitions you provided are well within Dawkins' definition.

By some definitions some viral videos would count, if they’re viral because they’re funny. By those definitions, if they’re viral because they’re critical news like the George Floyd murder, they’re not memes because they’re not humorous.

The reason for their spread is irrelevant. The fact that it's "a piece of culture that is spreading" is what makes it a meme.

What made image macros into internet memes was people taking the same macro and using different text

Again, this is well within the definition of "meme".

My definition is not necessarily “right”, but I like it.

You're arguing that "Internet meme" should be it's own thing, when it fits perfectly well within the overarching definition of "meme".

merc@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 354d

You're arguing that "Internet meme" should be it's own thing, when it fits perfectly well within the overarching definition of "meme".

Yes, just like "motorcycle" fits perfectly well within the overarching definition of "vehicle" but it's still useful to have a more specific term.

Deflated0ne@lemmy.world · 40 pts · 357d

Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org · 34 pts · 357d (7 replies)

I miss Demotivators. Especially the RPG Demotivators from RPG.Net

NaibofTabr@infosec.pub · 53 pts · 357d

resipsaloquitur@lemmy.world · 27 pts · 356d (3 replies)

merc@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 356d (2 replies)

It's strange how no matter when someone was born, the best period in world history is the one when they happened to be kids.

resipsaloquitur@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 355d (1 reply)

Call me a boomer but I feel kids growing up now are missing something that those of us who grew up before TikTok had.

merc@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 354d

They're missing a lot of things, especially including having a childhood where your mistakes weren't forever preserved online.

realitista@lemmus.org · 12 pts · 356d

My place of work in the early '90s used to have those original motivational posters all over the place, so I hung some of this original demotivational series in my cubicle. I believe they are the ones that started it all, and I still personally think they are the best.

Cliff@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 356d

lichtmetzger@discuss.tchncs.de · 32 pts · 356d (1 reply)

So I badgerbadgerbadgerbadger which was the mushroom mushroom at the time.

aceshigh@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 356d

snaaake!

JakoJakoJako13@piefed.social · 32 pts · 356d (3 replies)

I remember these were called Demotivational Posters before they were called memes.

Obi@sopuli.xyz · 10 pts · 356d (1 reply)

Yeah I remember folks used to actually print and hang these.

JakoJakoJako13@piefed.social · 7 pts · 356d

YES! My graphic design class in highschool printed out a bunch of em for the art show.

Alaknar@sopuli.xyz · 5 pts · 355d

Akhchually, they were called "memes" since 1976. It's just that the word didn't get popular with them damn kids.

CaptainBlagbird@lemmy.world · 32 pts · 357d (5 replies)

WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 356d

W  E  L  C  O    
M  E  T  O  T     
H  E  N  E  X     
T  L E V E  L

TheBat@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 357d (3 replies)

[ removed ]

CaptainBlagbird@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 356d

The movie name is a reference to the Sator square, yes 🤘

NoForwadSlashS@piefed.social · 7 pts · 356d (1 reply)

I don't think Christopher Nolan was around when this was made

JackbyDev@programming.dev · 2 pts · 356d

Duhhhhh, he went back in time, just like in Christopher Nolan's hit film Tenet.

tatann@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 357d

Nobody:

OP formatting his meme:

Meme format has progressed so much

Xanthrax@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 357d

Dude, I shit brix

Sabata11792@ani.social · 9 pts · 356d

You can't just tickle my nostalgia organ like that.

Deadeyegai@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 357d

Pepperidge Farms remembers?

merc@sh.itjust.works · 9 pts · 356d (14 replies)

This is more-or-less the format used for the motivational posters that were popular in offices in the 90s or so. People made fun of those with demotivational posters. But, those weren't really "memes", IMO.

But, the earliest thing that I think deserve the name "memes" (normally called Image Macros) were on the Something Awful forums (and soon after that on 4chan). In the early days they were mostly animal based: "lolcat", "doge", the "O RLY?" owl, etc.

Can someone point to "memes" that had the text underneath the picture, rather than using the impact font and written directly on top of the picture?

ExtremeUnicorn@feddit.org · 3 pts · 355d (13 replies)

Question: Isn't what you describe in the first paragraph the very definition of a meme?

merc@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 355d (12 replies)

What is the definition of a meme?

ParadoxSeahorse@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 355d (11 replies)

Devoting oneself to one’s art, impoverishing oneself in the pursuit of Truth, or welcoming martyrdom for one’s cause do not, it seems, represent behaviours which are obviously beneficial to the individual of for the spread of that individual’s genes. So, given that this kind of behaviour clearly exists, and is widespread, what is reaping the benefit? Dawkins’ somewhat surprising answer was the ideas themselves. Ideas are clearly in competition with each other so perhaps there’s a selection process going on, analogous to natural selection, through which some ideas prove successful and spread whilst others die out. He concluded that there was such a selection process and, to emphasise the parallel to natural selection, he coined the term “meme” which come from an ancient Greek root, “mimeme”, meaning imitated thing.

What’s in a Meme?

merc@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 355d (10 replies)

That was the original use, but what is it in the modern Internet context?

ParadoxSeahorse@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 355d (9 replies)

meme noun [C] (ON INTERNET)

an idea, joke, image, video, etc. that is spread very quickly on the internet

Take a look at the top ten internet memes for this past year.

merc@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 355d (8 replies)

So, would you agree that viral videos are memes? I wouldn't.

Alaknar@sopuli.xyz · 3 pts · 355d

Yes, it's literally in the definition. Even ideas are memes.

A meme is to culture what a gene is to biology.

ExtremeUnicorn@feddit.org · 0 pts · 355d

I wouldn't say that viral videos are memes, they are viral videos. But their content can become a meme, which could be a quote from it or some kind of content shown in a different context.

E.g. the Area51 Naruto runner is a meme, but the report where he appears is not.

dumbass@leminal.space · 8 pts · 357d

We used to be a proper fucking society, with class!

jaybone@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 357d

Needs more belt onions.

Taleya@aussie.zone · 6 pts · 355d

That's not a meme. It's a macro.

Kids these days i swear

iAvicenna@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 356d

Oh wow I remember these, even made a couple myself

bus_factor@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 357d (1 reply)

That font was definitely not the style at the time.

merc@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 356d

The two fonts I remember were Comic Sans, used for putting words in the mouths of pets, or Impact for most other things.

mechoman444@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 356d (1 reply)

I like to drop in "as was the style at the time" in casual conversation to see who picks up on it.

OopsOverbombing@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 356d

I feel like we'd get along bc I'm constantly dropping random Simpson's/other media references into conversations ^^;

makyo@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 356d (1 reply)

Spezi@feddit.org · 2 pts · 356d

Is this loss?

ThatGuyNamedZeus@feddit.org · 3 pts · 357d (13 replies)

Most of the people on the entirety of lemmy and mastodon won't get this one

Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 37 pts · 357d (4 replies)

I beg to differ. I'm an elder millennial and as far as I can tell, most people here are my age or older.

Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 357d

Same + agree

jaybone@lemmy.zip · 9 pts · 357d (1 reply)

Get off my lawn

grue@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 356d

Even more proof of being old now that younger folks can't afford houses!

chatokun@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 5 pts · 356d

Same, I keep seeing people acting like Lemmy is full of young people, but I see a ton of people referencing stuff in our age range and older.

trxxruraxvr@lemmy.world · 31 pts · 357d

I saw a poll for age a while back on Mastodon and most respondents were in their 30s or 40s

ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca · 8 pts · 357d

Kills me inside when I see youtuber/celebrity communities

ameancow@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 357d (5 replies)

[ removed ]

deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz · 8 pts · 357d (2 replies)

the literal children who try to debate with me their asinine, juvenile takes

This explains so much, as someone in the upper age brackets; youngsters baying for a learning opportunity while cutting themselves on their edge.

Maybe I should be more forgiving.

okwhateverdude@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 357d

Meh, fuck that. Welcome them to the internet and smack them down. They gotta learn. Embrace your inner Aslan.

ameancow@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 356d

[ removed ]

ThatGuyNamedZeus@feddit.org · 3 pts · 356d

one of my cats has a safe space he retreats to, sometimes I try to pet him when he's in there and he hisses at me

JackbyDev@programming.dev · 1 pts · 356d

I think the average user age here is probably 25 to 30, are you 75 to 90 years old?

brashboy@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 355d

I miss pown.it - I never understood it but I thought it was great