INTERNET MEMES
Careful Listening
Pre-listening
A. Discuss the following.
What kind of sites do you visit when you are on the Internet? (Give the name, describe the
function and how you benefit from that function, etc.) Are these sites popular with your peers
or other people? Why or why not?
Do you learn new and unexpected things on the Internet sometimes? If you do, how do you
find out about them? Do you pass this information on to your friends? If you do, what means
do you use?
B. Look at the following images and answer the questions.
What makes the images funny?
Do you like seeing images like these on the Internet? What kinds of images do you
particularly like?
Answer the questions below using the information in your notes.
1. Richard Dawkins coined the word “meme” to explain how ___________________ spreads in
society. A meme is a(n) ___________________or ___________________ that spreads within
a culture. “Internet meme” was introduced by Mike Godwin and refers to a concept that
spreads from ___________________ to ___________________ in Internet culture.
2. Choose the alternative which best completes the following text:
The Grumpy Cat is a good example of memes in the form of ____. The meme includes ____
text. The meme has been around since ____.
a. images with texts / cynical and humorous / 2012
b. catchphrases / negative but funny / 2016
c. images with texts / funny and cynical / 2018
3. Why are catchphrases effective as memes?
______________________________________
4. The following are examples of popular Internet memes. Write the name of the category.
a. ___________
b. ___________
c. ___________
5. Humorous memes spread owing to ___________________, whereas shocking memes spread
because they appeal to ___________________.
6. In the past, Internet memes used to spread through ___________________ or
___________________, while today they spread via other media.
7. What feature differentiates the Internet from traditional sources of information such as radio
and TV?
______________________________________
8. Write one of the ways of contributing to the evolution of an Internet meme.
______________________________________
