Internet meme
Internet Memes are user-generated concepts that spread virally through the internet and have become ingrained in internet culture. These ideas or concepts evolve over time as they are transferred from person to person. Memes can take the form of hyperlinks, pictures, websites, words, videos or sayings, and often convey sarcastic or ironic phrases. Typically, the version that is seen the most on the Internet is pictures. Internet memes are spread by sharing on social networks such as Tumblr, 4chan, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, or through blogs, news sites, and more. Memes are created every day, through different meme generating sites and constantly evolving trends on the Internet. Ethical issues associated with memes include control of the meme (or lack thereof) as it spreads, privacy of the people depicted in popular memes, copyright issues, disguised ads that look like memes, and differences in monetary capitalization from memes based on racial biases and embedded culture.
Contents
Origin of the Word
Richard Dawkins first introduced the concept of a meme in his book The Selfish Gene: "Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches. Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body via sperms or eggs, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain via a process which, in the broad sense, can be called imitation. If a scientist hears, or reads about, a good idea, he passed it on to his colleagues and students. He mentions it in his articles and his lectures. If the idea catches on, it can be said to propagate itself, spreading from brain to brain. As my colleague N.K. Humphrey neatly summed up an earlier draft of this chapter: `... memes should be regarded as living structures, not just metaphorically but technically.(3) When you plant a fertile meme in my mind you literally parasitize my brain, turning it into a vehicle for the meme's propagation in just the way that a virus may parasitize the genetic mechanism of a host cell. And this isn't just a way of talking -- the meme for, say, "belief in life after death" is actually realized physically, millions of times over, as a structure in the nervous systems of individual men the world over."[1]
Analysis
Internet Memes in Communities
PostSecret, a community mail art project turned internet phenomenon, began offline before moving to a blog. People mail in anonymous secrets on postcards to the creator of PostSecret, who posts images of these postcards on the site.[2]
The popularity of memes can also be seen in the way people are offended on sites such as Reddit or Tumblr when a meme is used in an incorrect manner. This can lead users of the sites to write insulting comments in reply to the memes that are posted. Sometimes, these memes are posted specifically to enrage those people who are easily offended by improper usage of memes.
Creation
Many memes originated as sayings or jokes that became popular after circulating YouTube, Reddit, Facebook, or Tumblr. A large chunk of the memes that spread very quickly throughout the Internet are pictures with text included either above it, below it, or overlayed on top of it. With programs like Photoshop, it is relatively easy to create one's own version of a popular Internet meme.
Since Photoshop is an expensive software, websites have been created that focus on creating and sharing Internet memes. One of these sites is Quickmeme, where users can choose from the images that have already been created and choose their own saying to overlay, or upload their own photo to make an entirely new meme. On the main page of the website, users can scroll through memes to view those that have been created. QuickMeme also has a voting system that allow users to choose which memes they enjoy the most, and then filter memes based on their scores and popularity.[3] Unfortunately, the page is not up to date with many of the memes that have become popular among Internet users in recent years.
In addition to being able to "meme" popular pictures that circulate through the Internet, there are also apps for iOS and Android on which users can "meme" their own photos. This usually consists of being able to place a block of the standard meme text over a picture on his or her phone. GroupMe is one of these apps. When a user uploads a picture to GroupMe to share it with a person or group, they have the option to overlay text on the picture for a comedic meme effect. These "memes" do not qualify as the original definition of a meme, but the term "meme" has started to become synonymous with "funny picture with a funny caption on it".
Examples
Lolcats
![](/images/thumb/6/66/Catpills.jpg/300px-Catpills.jpg)
A lolcat, which comes from the texting acronym "lol" (meaning "laugh out loud") combined with the word "cats", is one example of an internet meme, believed to have been started by users on 4chan. A lolcat depicts a cat and a humorous tagline. There are two common forms of lolcats:
- An image of a cat bordered in black with a short tagline beneath the image.
- An image of a cat with a short tagline at the top, bottom, or top and bottom of the image.
Lolcat memes frequently display a cat in an peculiar position or with an unusual expression. Similar memes have been created without a cat as the main focus and are referred to as 'lols'.
Apps
There are apps associated with LOLcats, available for both iOS[5] and Android[6] users. These apps have very large collections of lolcats. Users can scroll through them with ease, and without having to filter out other content. These apps were very popular in 2012, but the last update for LOLcats on iOS was made on June 23, 2016. The last update for Random LOLcats on Android was made on April 14, 2015.
Planking
Planking is considered a "photo fad" meme, which involves lying face down with arms to the sides in unusual public spaces and then photographing the scene and sharing the image online. The planking phenomenon started when a pro-rugby player planked after a play during the match. Planking is also considered to be a successor to the phenomenon know as Lying Down Game and Playing Dead.[7]
"Y U NO" Guy
The "Y U NO" Guy meme is an image that is usually captioned with writing usually seen in text-messaging including shorthand, abbreviations, and carefree grammar. The meme us often used in a sarcastic tone, potentially used to mock those who text in aforementioned styles. [8]
"Forever Alone" Guy
Forever Alone is a rage comic image macro used to express loneliness and/or disappointment with one's life. Users of rage comic macros often employ Forever Alone in deadpan-style for comedic effect.
Know Your Meme
Know Your Meme is not in itself an example of a meme but is a website that follows trends of memes and other online phenomena, such as viral videos and catchphrases in a continually evolving encyclopedic fashion. The site includes memes that are no longer popular, as well as trending topics that are less than a day old. [9]
First World Problems
The meme, thought to have sprung from the lyrics of a 1995 Matthew Good Band song, is viral on social websites including Tumblr, twitter, and reddit, and replicates on the site quickmeme.com. [10] “First World Problems” enjoys a robust life among first worlders by employing the rhetorical canons of invention and style to illuminate third world reality. It provides a forum for first worlders to commiserate socially about their daily stresses, while building social awareness of those less fortunate. Each replication of this meme creates a new satirical yet ironic glimpse into a trivial first world problem. The category of Quickmeme, labeled “First World Problems,” shows the photo of a sobbing women in anguish holding her hand to her forehead. The meme’s trademark is to pair an incongruous photo and text creating a satirical commentary on first world life. The dramatic picture is taken out of context and shown with unrelated text about mundane or esoteric situations. This cleverly builds the irony of these two juxtaposed elements as dramatic vs. non-dramatic. The meme has changed the context of the third world and first world in that now the two realities are no longer about geographic distance, but about cultural differences. The third world is a part of each culture.Ethical Concerns
Control
One ethical concern of the Internet meme is the lack of control as it spreads online. The sarcastic nature of memes mean that some groups may take offense to them, but once memes have been spread online, it becomes impossible to remove them.[11] With social media such as Facebook and Twitter, the quick and widespread of memes is unstoppable. Some memes are able to go viral within the hour, because of their humorous nature or their relevance to current events or pop culture. This often makes it nearly impossible to control the outbreak if there is an image spreading. Sometimes the meme can be quite harmful or offensive, depending on whether or not the meme depicts an actual person.
Decontextualization
Memes can be spread across millions of people each day through a simple click. While their sarcasm provides direct humor in the context of meme websites, memes appearing out of context allow for the tinkering of its content, which change how the message is received. It is possible for anyone who sees a meme on the Internet to usurp it and write something that they find to be funny. As a result, memes carry a destructive, antagonistic and alienating culture through the amplification of its content.
Due to the increased number of outlets on which to make memes, people can craft pictures and post them to the Internet within minutes. The picture doesn't have to be of a person who has made their rounds on the Internet already, and the caption doesn't have to be a generic one, meaning that someone could make a meme of a person whom they know in real life and use it to bully them on the Internet. Memes have become a form of cyberbullying that is easy to take part in. All one has to do to take part is to share the derogatory meme. This raises the ethical issue of cyberbullying and who is at fault for any harm done to the victim of the meme attack, intentional or otherwise.
Some popular derogatory memes include kids with Down Syndrome used to poke fun of them. They often are used to mock the facials and expressions of kids with special needs. Sometimes kids with Down Syndromes are often used as memes to make fun of and degrade members of the opposing political party.
Some memes are even born from tragic incidences. On May 28th, 2016 when a gorilla named Harambe was shot at the Cincinnati Zoo after a child climbed into the gorilla's enclosure, the public had mixed feelings about the situation and some felt that the shooting was unfair. First, there was grief for the gorilla and "Justice for Harambe" memes spread widely across the internet. Later, the meme was used to harass the Cincinnati Zoo and even used in a racist capacity such as in the cases against "Ghostbusters" actress Leslie Jones [12] and former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama [13].
Privacy
Some examples of popular internet memes are: Bad Luck Brian, Scumbag Steve and Good Guy Greg. The pictures used for these memes are actual people, which raises the issue of informed consent. In some cases, such as Ridiculously Photogenic Guy, the person depicted has adopted the meme as a part of their personality. Other times, the model will choose to ignore his or her viral fame, however, memes that have negative connotations attached to their image such as Bad Luck Brian and Scumbag Steve might be harder to deal with. The people depicted in these memes may be misrepresented or unfavorably portrayed, thus making it harder to deal with the infamy that comes from an unwelcome depiction of oneself.
Copyright
People frequently recycle memes by making edits to previously existing means. For example, many use the same image but add a new caption. The brings up questions of ownership and copyright. If someone takes ownership of a meme, reuse of the memes image, or alterations of the meme may be seen as plagiarism or copyright infringement.
In fact, the very purpose of sites like Quickmeme is to take templates for various image macros and allow users to place their own text over the pictures, thus allowing them to create their own meme. Little or no consideration is given to the original owners of the pictures, even though several popular backgrounds (like First World Problems and Scumbag Teacher) are from stock photo sites that sell their pictures.
Meme Sharing Sites
Some platforms like QuickMeme allow people to post advertisements between a cluster of memes. These advertisements usually take the form of thumbnails of the same size and dimension as the meme. Some argue that this forces the user to look at an ad, often without consent. Usually advertisements appear in corners of the screen, where they do not interfere with the user's activity, but in this case, it is more difficult to ignore advertisements.
Monetary Capitalization
Memes have become a lucrative business, as evident from recent popular phenomenons' attempts to capitalize on their viral popularity. Two notable examples are Danielle Bregoli, best known as the "Cash Me Outside" Girl, and Peaches Monroee, who coined the now popular term "on fleek." [14] [15] Bregoli, whose appearance and performance on Dr. Phil lead to viral fame after her use of the term "cash me outside," has been able to finance herself with her newfound popularity. She has nabbed promotional deals and appearances that offer her compensation in the $40,000 to $50,000 range. On the other hand, Monroee's coining of the term "on fleek," which has been used by several large corporations and reprinted on clothing, has not seen any sort of compensation or recognition for her idea[16].
The cases of both of these young women represent an ethical dilemma associated with the popularization of meme culture in mainstream media and copyright issues as a whole. While Bregoli and potentially Monroee can capitalize off of their celebrity as a result of the phrases they've coined, they cannot capitalize off of the phrases themselves or trademark them[16]. This interpretation is affiliated with a complicated use of copyright laws — very specific ideas can be protected, but the idea itself cannot. Other than the repeated commodification of term "on fleek" without Monroee receive her proper due, another ethical dilemma at the crux of meme usage and compensation is the racial inequalities present in Monroee's situation in comparison to Bregoli's. Monroee is a Black woman, while Bregoli is a young White woman; the differences in their abilities to capitalize off of their respective phrases — successful for Bregoli and unsuccessful for Monroee — has sparked outrage amongst various Twitter users[16]. Monroee, and other Black individuals who have managed to have their talent go viral and memed, are unable to protect themselves against corporate interests. The implications of their inability to succeed and gain financial benefits from their ideas, versus Bregoli's relative ease at doing so, highlights institutionalized racial injustices and biases embedded within mainstream culture.
See Also
References
- ↑ Dawkins, R. (2017). "Memes, The New Replicators." rubinghscience.org. Retrieved from http://www.rubinghscience.org/memetics/dawkinsmemes.html
- ↑ PostSecret. (2017). PostSecret. Retrieved 6 April 2017, from http://postsecret.com/
- ↑ Quickmeme: the funniest page on the internet. (2017). Quickmeme. Retrieved 6 April 2017, from http://www.quickmeme.com/
- ↑ Lolcats
- ↑ "LOLcats Free" [1]. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ↑ "Random LOLcats" [2]. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ↑ Planking. (2011). Know Your Meme. Retrieved 18 April 2017, from http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/planking
- ↑ "Y U NO" Guy. (2011). Know Your Meme. Retrieved 18 April 2017, from http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/y-u-no-guy
- ↑ Know Your Meme. (2017). Know Your Meme. Retrieved 18 April 2017, from http://knowyourmeme.com/
- ↑ First World Problems
- ↑ Memes and ethics in the new participatory web. (2017). Careermash. Retrieved 18 April 2017, from http://careermash.ca/blogs/memes-and-ethics-new-participatory-web
- ↑ Rogers, K. (2016). The Complicated Appeal of the Harambe Meme. The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/us/the-complicated-appeal-of-the-harambe-meme.html?_r=2
- ↑ Roy, J. (2017). Harambe Was the Meme We Couldn't Escape in 2016. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 April 2017, from http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-harambe-meme-evolution-20161221-story.html
- ↑ Miller, Jenny: ‘On Fleek’ Teen Peaches Monroee Launches GoFundMe for Cosmetics Line http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/02/on-fleek-teen-launches-gofundme-for-cosmetics-line.html
- ↑ Cacich, Allision: Is "Cash Me Outside" Girl Danielle Bregoli Already a Millionaire? Get the Scoop! http://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/cash-me-outside-danielle-bregoli-millionaire-127935/photos/danielle-bregoli-5-231832
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Feldman, Brian: The Woman Who Invented ‘on Fleek’ Still Hasn’t Seen a Dime for It http://nymag.com/selectall/2015/12/another-reminder-that-our-copyright-system-sucks.html
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