It is practically impossible for you to not have come across memes if you have used the internet. Whether you are on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, 4chan — these websites are full of influential memes. Maybe it is a funny picture or silly internet video you share with your friend or that picture that I just made up.
They are funny; we love funny things!!!!!
The word meme has changed so much that anything could be a meme at this point! But what is this word? What is this concept called “MEME”?
Well, the word meme has its origin in Evolutionary Biology! Whhhaaaatt ???
Yes. The concept was coined much before the internet even existed. Richard Dawinks in his widely popular book, The Selfish Gene defines this term. He defines it as “a unit of cultural transmission or imitation” like God, catchphrases, and fashion trends. The word meme comes from the Greek “mimema”, meaning imitated, which Dawkins supposedly shortened to rhyme with a gene. But the catch here is this original definition does not really suit what meme is today. A meme is much bigger now.
The word meme stepped in the world of internet through an article titled Meme, Counter- meme by Mike Godwin in the 1993 issue of Wired. However, memes didn’t make its breakthrough until the internet 2.0 phase, as when the narrative of the internet shifted from a place of formal email communication, research and business transaction to a place of fun and entertainment. Twitter had only started in 2006 and YouTube a year earlier. Memes were just starting. As we approached 2010 memes had just become popular, but they just didn’t have that iconic image attached to it. Humour and punch line got associated with iconic images and this became the defining moment for memes.
Memes then took a creative turn. People became creative and started putting a twist on things. Around 2010, meme got popular on the mainstream media. Relatable memes skyrocketed. Social sites like Twitter and Facebook started getting flooded. The Meme Culture had arisen. We have now normalized this culture. We now define our experiences through memes, be it for pop culture, or advertising, or even political movements. Memes have revolutionized social media and here are a few of my personalized memes to help build the culture.
