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Jacob Hess

Professor Peter Fields

English Composition II, Sec 0010

February 26, 2019

What do you meme

Since the beginning of the internet, a rapidly growing subculture consisting of its own humorous

tropes has served as a staple of the millennial generation. These multi-modal communication devices are

something many have come to know and love as memes. Possibly one of the biggest influencers of the

21st century, memes have manifested into one of the most widely recognizable cultural phenomena of the

digital age. Through its unorthodox methods, memes have established digital communities entirely

contrived of original creators and its audiences. Not only do they comment on a wide variety of content,

they take on various form and are constantly evolving. Due to its unpredictability and high level of

permeability, memes are nearly impossible to define on simple terms alone. According to Google, the

most widely accepted definition for a meme is “a humorous image, video, piece of text, etc., that is copied

(often with slight variations) and spread rapidly by Internet users.” However, many argue that this fails to

fully encapsulate the in-death complexity that are memes. Like snowflakes, no two memes are alike. They

are a form of self-expression and provide a rich look into the ever-developing culture of the Internet

environment. Memes are the all-giving, ever evolving platform, that rouses creativity among developers

and content creators alike. Memes have become an essential part of everyday life, serving as a distraction

from the monotonous routine many experiences on a daily basis. Its massive influence in society is

undeniable, impacting not only the media, but changing the way people communicate culturally. Most

importantly, memes, and the platform it has created has given the general public a voice, communicating
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our disapprobation as well as our admiration. Leading us to question how memes are impacting the way

contemporary society communicates culturally universal messages?

Ranging from jokes about cats with poor spelling, to graphics making social comments masked in

parody, their genres are indeterminable, and one can never predict what form they will take next. Memes

cannot be limited to satirical mockery, as they have many subcategories often producing feelings of

empathy, violence, sadness, relatability, comfort and even entirely subgenera of wholesome memes.

Behind every seemingly simplistic meme lies ambiguity, jampacked full of cultural references that often

communicate a particular message or idea. These messages are represented in basic phrases or random

pictures that have alluding references that require a certain level of understanding. While some Internet

memes express political ideology, cultural phenomena, or societal movements taking on parody,

imitation, and manipulation to get a point across. Wide spread, and fame inducing, they can decide what

the users of the Internet, care about next, and have the power of taking the smallest of events and bringing

them to light. Typically based on opinion, and wholly reliant on their web-based audience to gain

popularity, there is no exact science in determining which new meme will rise to fame next, as no one can

determine what the audience will take to. Where they are created and how to ensure their popularity,

however, is the real mystery behind memes.

Although they are a relatively new occurrence, and have the tendency to stray towards the

comical, Internet memes should not be in any way disregarded, as their impact on modern society is an

unprecedented event. The way in which they persuade one’s perception, as well as being influenced by

current events and popular culture, configured speech patterns, and entertain mass audiences has proved

that memes have a significant societal impact. With the wildly successful and unrelenting dominance it

processes, memes have become a topic studied at a social level. By understanding the history, social

relevancy, and cultural application of memes will shed insight on their value as a way to communicate

universal messages across various cultural and digital platforms.

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Memes are not a new concept. Every fashion trend, each new slang term, anything that influenced

or reformed a person or a group because of the sheer fact that it was “popular” is a meme. However, long

before the term “meme” was a household name, the concept of a meme was prevalent many years before

the birth of the internet. In order to understand the in-depth history of memes, it is essential to

acknowledge how and why memes were established. After doing extensive research on the history of

memes, it became apparent the amount of differing perspectives on the history of memes. However, one

thing has remained consistent, its origin. The credited founding father Richard Dawkins, first coined the

term in 1976, in his book The Selfish Gene. Originally, his term did not refer to the media, but rather, an

attempt to create a measurable unit that describes how cultural ideas are spread through generations. Like

genes, these cultural ideas are capable of mutation and evolving. Dawkins referred to this concept as a

“Mimeme” which is a Greek word that translates to “that which is imitated” (Dawkins, 206) He later

abbreviated it to the word “meme” due to its similarity to the word “gene”. In his theory memes represent

ideas compared to genes being a physical trait. In The Selfish Gene, he states, “Just as genes propagate

themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body via sperm or eggs, memes propagate

themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain via a process which, in a broad sense, can be

called imitation” (Dawkins, 206). This theory has gone through numerous permutations to evolve into

what it is known as today. In 1990, a field of study called “memetics”, which explored the idea of memes

from an evolutionary perceptive, revisiting Dawkins original concept. Many argued that cultural ideas

cannot be categorized into units, disregarding his theory, and redefining its application. Mike Goodwin in

1994 first popularized the concept internet memes in an article with the wired (Goodwin). This idea was

further perpetuated from Susan Blackmore in 2008, where she labeled internet memes as “temes”

describing them as “memes that live in technological artifacts instead of the human mind.” Susan believed

that once a human brain witnessed a “teme”, it will be stored in one’s mind, in which the brain will

subconsciously create ways to keep the meme alive (Blackmore, TED). With that, these memes will stick

in the brain and undergo subtle mutations over time to the point in which it is only recognizable to the

brain that experienced the original creation, thus creating the meme that is prevalent in the present day.
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Like Dawkins concept of memes, the definition has evolved and mutated exponentially, almost having an

entirely different contact in the process. In a recent interview with Richard Dawkins in 2013, he claimed

that “internet memes are a hijacking of the original idea” (Dawkins, Wired). Saying that these memes are

a result of mutation and evolution in this entirely new direction. Unlike genes, internet memes are “altered

deliberately by human creativity.” Thus, skewing his original definition of a meme.

There are countless articles debating the history of modern-day memes throughout human

existence. Based on the original term proposed by Richard Dawkins, memes could be anything from the

cover of a song, language, to religion. It can be broken down into a widely spread cultural idea, or, from

the words of Dawkins, “It’s anything that goes viral”(Dawkins, Wired). With that being said, by

excluding the original definition of a meme, and primarily focusing on the digital age definition, leads to

a more accurate overview of evolution of memes throughout human history. Many argue that the first

occurrence of something closest to a political meme was created by none other than Benjamin Franklin,

on May 9th, 1754. This anti-British propaganda piece was published in the Pennsylvania Gazette, and

depicted an image of a snake cut into eight pieces, with each segment labeled with the initials of an

American colony with the caption “join or die”. ("Join or Die Snake Historical Flag" Flags Unlimited, 26

July, 2011). On the other hand, while many claim that to be the first, it can be argued that memes can be

in the form of early political caricatures, which date back as early as 1721 with the famous painting

“Emblematical Print on the South Sea Scheme” (Antal, Nagy Levente, 2018). On the contrary, many

claim that the earliest form of a meme in existence can be traced back to as early as 79 AD in a Pompeii

ruin. This sator square contains a five-word Latin palindrome "Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas." Its

translation is unknown(Gavin) . However, the five word scription has appeared in many different cultures

over the centuries including France, England, Syria, and Italy, complementing its virality.

Transitioning to a more modern approach, many speculate the first meme, more closely related to

the definition, originating in 1921 in the Wisconsin Octopus magazine (Gerken, 2018). In this comic, the

first format dependent joke with an image and captain was published. The two side-by-side drawings
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share major similarities with the contemporary template of the “expectation vs reality” subgenera. While

one picture is drawn at a higher quality with the captain “How you think you look when a flash light is

taken”, the other contrasts a distinguishably lower level of detail with the captain “how you really look”.

To further this, there is evidence to show that it gone through some level of mutation while keeping the

same format, additionally proving to hold up against the definition. Throughout the year’s memes have

adapted into forms of graffiti, with recurring phrases such as “Kilroy was here” and “Andre the giant”

being some of the most common (Gavin). It wasn’t until 1996 that the first meme was introduced to the

internet. Probably one of the most iconic viral gifs, the dancing baby was an online sensation that was

transferred via email, much like the original meme traveled from brain to brain (“6 oldest memes on the

internet”). However, the internet meme many credits as being the first, is the socially awkward penguin,

as it most closely resembles the format of memes in the present (“6 oldest memes on the internet”).

Despite the origin of the first meme being highly debated, it’s clear that socially awkward penguin was

the first to be culturally reproduced.

Since the days of Richard Dawkins, however, this spread of pop culture has taken on a new

medium: the Internet. Now, instead of spreading ideas, concepts, and behaviors through television,

printed media, or word of mouth, they use websites, videos and compose graphics. This upgraded the

contemporary environment to that of the technological world and have consequently proceeded to

reproduce our culture there. In comparison to mainstream media, memes have distinguishable

characteristics that separates them from the mold of present entertainment. Memes are contrived of its

own cultural interpretation and creative language that truly makes the genre unique. Being entirely reliant

on an audience, and requiring a level of prior context, many question how memes are able to prevail in

producing culturally universal messages on such a broad scale. By understand its linguistics, and cultural

application, one can further understand its social relevancy in contemporary society.

Memes are infamously known for its unique twist on language, as it regularly goes against

traditional grammar. Its language use can range from the most simplistic of phrases such as “big sad” to
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incorporating its own dialect like “yeet” and “doggo” (De La Rosa-Carrillo). It’s customary for memes to

communicate ideas through metaphorical phrases that apply to a multitude of topics. One of most

common being “its free real estate” which could apply to virtually anything ranging from satirical

remarks regarding big corporations, such as insurance companies taking advantage of customers, to the

common cold virus making people sick. Many phrases evolve to the point of alluding images, or a single

letter that represents its original form. A simple example of the evolution of a phrase started in 2014,

when the video game, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, had a funeral scene that asked players to “Press

“F” to pay respects” which many people mocked. Soon this became a running gag and many people

began to reference “type F in the chat to pay your respects”, on posts containing an embarrassing or sad

theme. As the phrase continued, it underwent numerous mutations ranging from “can I get an F in the

chat” to “F for respect” to the final stage of just “F”. Viewers who were unaware of the phrase’s

numerous permutations were often left confused and unable to understand without proper context (De La

Rosa-Carrillo). While this type of evolution comes in many different styles and forms, the messages

behind them remain the same.

Though there are many memes that undergo the evolution process, many experience few

deviations from its original form. Often referred to as “normies,” they tend to be universally understood

without requiring any cultural background (Antal, Nagy Levente, 2018). Typically, they are format

dependent, meaning that they follow a specific template composed of phrases or images to convey the

message. Usually, these templates are presented as a side-by-side comparison or progressive expansion

and are paired with expressive images and phrases. While many of these memes could be referred to as

being transparent, they often capture a fundamental message that resonate with many people. Looking at

these memes from a grammatical perceptive, it is apparent that they don’t stick to any specific regime.

They often stray far beyond the boundaries of what is considered correct grammar. Whether it is

academic language being used or common English filled with slang or other non-traditional use of the

language, they rarely fail to convey their point. When memes incorporate normal grammar; its typically
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expressed in the form image macros adding deeper meaning to the image its attached too, with the

message being straight forward and concise. In many cases, when memes incorporate unproper grammar

usage, it’s often the intention of the creator as it can be the focal point of the meme or add an extra

element of humor. This tactic can be best presented in “here come dat boi” meme, which is a wholesome

meme that consists of a frog riding a unicycle. In this image the phrases consist of “here comes dat

friend”, “o shit waddup!” and “i cant wait to hear about their day” which clearly was the intention of the

creator to utilize this poor grammar (Antal, Nagy Levente, 2018). By applying incomplete sentences,

purposeful misspellings and improper punctuations, one can argue that it propagated the images comedic

characteristics, while also communicating its wholesomeness on a universal scale. Another example of

“meme grammar” can be expressed in what Nagy Levente Antal labeled as “expanding intelligence”

meme, in which a progressing image of a brain is appearing to glow and contrasting with phrases. In this

case, the word “who”, progressively expanded using English doubles and triples and increasing

contractions stating “whom”, “whomst” and “whomst’d”. This iteration expresses a satirical cultural

message that, in the words of Nagy Levente Antal, “grammar and vocab usage are present in instances

where the image is attempting to mock someone / something, using “high” English as a means to

establish dominance over the individual, evoking a sense of a higher being”. In most cases, it is almost

impossible to provide an adequate syntax structure, due to the fact that memes are rarely comprised of

whole sentences, rather having snippets of text which are relevant to the image presented (Antal, Nagy

Levente, 2018) On the other hand, most memes undergo a process known as a remix, which can be

understood as “taking cultural artifacts and combine and manipulating them into new kinds of creative

blends” (De La Rosa-Carrillo). Through this process, while the overall message remains the same, the

way in which it is applied gives it new meaning. As memes are shared around, they progress and evolve

into hybrids of themselves, with new meaningful purposes. Typically, the purpose being irony, or, in

other words “the concept of the meme has become the meme” (Weller). As these memes progress, they

often become much more difficult to interpret for those who were unexposed to its original state.
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However, one study suggests that “Internet memes flourish through remix”, identifying how significant a

remix is for alluring audiences to current memes in order to feel part of the community (De La Rosa-

Carrillo). Ultimately, demonstrating how memes remain culturally relevant, as well as the major

contributions behind its massive success.

As internet memes approach its twenty-third year, saying that this unpreceded event has had a

missive global influence would be an understatement. In many ways, memes have directly impacted its

viewers at an individual level, as society have adapted and interwoven its vernacular language through

engagement and participation. Since its introduction, these organically formed memes have significantly

progressed into a primary way to communicate cultural events through social media platforms. While not

one person can be credited with its success it serves, it brings into question how and why memes were

able to prevail throughout the digital age. As memes have become a more heavily studied topic,

researchers have been able to pinpoint some of the major influencers that have propagated memes success

throughout the years, and why they have continually prospered in contemporary society.

With its obvious popularity, many advertisers have utilized its trend to generate interest in their

products as well as attract publicity. Since memes are community based, companies are implored to

develop positive public perceptions of their organization, often taking initiative and using their platform

to show relatability as well as appear relevant (Brubaker). While many have tried to study and formulate a

pattern, its sheer randomness proves it undeterminable. In many cases, this process happens organically,

often an unintended product of their advertainment. These ad tactics have often inspired incredibly

popular memes such as “Old Spice Guy” which originated from Old Spice commercials. which have since

spawned several parodies and references (Brubaker). Although satirical, these memes create a platform

for advertises to generate interest in their products, while incorporating memes into mainstream

marketing.

Another reason in which memes have continued to stay prevalent is through the notion that

dozens of joke based memes require the participation of thousands of users to succeed (Literat). Referring
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back to Richard Dawkins, like genes, memes endure a level of natural selection with the idea that “just as

not all genes that can replicate do so successfully, so some memes are more successful in the meme-pool

than others” (Dawkins). While thousands of memes are produced every day, its ultimately in the hands of

the general population to decide which memes will rise to fame. Just like in today’s modern memes,

“some memes, like some genes, achieve brilliant short-term success in spreading rapidly, but do not last

long in the meme pool” (Dawkins). This, in turn, propagates the idea that while there is an abundance of

memes, the competitive nature is constantly recycling and evolving them along with our changing day to

day culture. Just like genes, memes die off and are reproduced often in slightly different variations.

Ultimately, this ensures that the audiences are receiving freshly relevant memes representative of their

contemporary environment.

Arguably the most influential source contributing to the success of memes is social media. Each

day, millions of people actively participate in social media, serving as a primary vehicle to communicate

cultural messages (Keller). With platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, dominating the way

the general public receives news and spreads ideas on a global scale, people have access to these memes

daily. While these platforms serve as a secondary source for memes and often the post-product, they play

an essential role in broadcasting to the mass population (Keller). Generally, composed of audiences, this

is often where memes hit the peak of its popularity. Many content creators formulate on Reddit, which is

a primary source for memes to be posted and climb to fame. With social media having such a global

influence, this allows the opportunity for other cultures to participate too. Even if you don’t speak the

language, iconic memes have surmounted to such a high level of popularity that they have become

recognizable in other languages (Androutsopoulos). Celebrity participation on social media platforms are

critical as well. Many famous people such as Elon Musk have been known to actively engage in the

conversation online.

Between getting Spongebob Square Pants a featurette at the half time show of Super Bowl 53,

and memorializing the gorilla Harambe, meme culture is progressively assimilating into mainstream
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customs of contemporary society. With its unrelenting influence and permanence in todays digital age,

people everywhere are immersed within the expansive genera on a daily basics. Through its platform,

memes have popularized iconic cultural references such as “Netflix and chill” and “you only live once” or

“yolo”, that are recognizable on a global scale (Keller). With contemporary medias adaptation of these

memes, like the movie Black Panther reference to the popular phrase “what are those?”, which was

viewed on a global scale, its apparent how memes are prevailing in communicating its message across

various cultures. Though understanding its socialite application, impact on culture and evolutionary

history, one can identify the value memes have communicating culturally universal messages throughout

the digital platform.

The biggest “gap” I had in terms of collecting research was the amount of outdated research

articles that are prevalent in this field of study. This caused many problems in terms of getting an accurate

source of information to use in my research. While I understand its fairly difficult to categorize memes

due to its sheer randomness, memes are significantly changing from year to year. In comparison to the

memes of present day and those prevalent in 2012, the genera is radically different and the classifications

are clearly inaccurate. One of my academic articles claimed, in reference to meme grammar “it can be

stated safely that “meme syntax” is improving quite substantially”, which in 2019, is a completely false

statement. Along with this, non-academic sources were much more clearly able to demonstrate how

memes are used on social media as well as the terms general society as adapted in order to better

categorize memes. For example, phrases like “dank memes” or a “memer”, although informal, was

completely unidentified despite being a wildly accepted categorization among users. On top of that, they

missed out on some of the most commonly recurring tropes, like “Chuck Norris” and “Shaggy” that have

made such an impact in communicating its cultural identity. Overall, there were major holes in the much

of research articles that lead to inaccuracies and skewed information. I plan to use my knowledge on

modern memes to develop a narrative, as someone more infested in this field to accurately portray the

value memes have at communicating cultural ideas.

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www.wired.com/1994/10/godwin-if-2/.
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Literat, Ioana, and Sarah Van Den Berg. “Buy Memes Low, Sell Memes High: Vernacular Criticism and

Collective Negotiations of Value on Reddit’s MemeEconomy.” Information, Communication & Society,

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