Internet meme

Internet Meme

Image macro of a lazy senior internet meme.

Internet memes are concepts that spread throughout the internet. They are user generated concepts, ideas, behaviors or styles that propagate throughout internet culture. They can take the form of hyperlinks, pictures, websites, words, videos or sayings. Internet memes are spread across the internet through sharing. Once a meme is a created it is submitted or uploaded to somewhere such as 4chan, Reddit, Facebook or any other media websites. The spread continues through continuous sharing.

Memes in the real world

Some internet memes grow so popular, they can be found offline. A fairly popular example of an internet meme leaving The Web is the phrase, "OMG!". OMG began as an abbreviation for "Oh, my God!" or "Oh, my Goodness!" found in online comments and informal emails. However, the phrase "OMG" is heard spoken in everyday speech.

Conversely, PostSecret, a community mail art project turned internet phenomenon, began offline and made its way online. Users post secrets anonymously on an artistic postcard in an effort to rid themselves of the strain of keeping this secret to themselves. It began as a mail campain but is now a popular weblog (or blog).

Creation

At the onset of memes, many of them were simply sayings or jokes that became popular to use as comments on blogs or other sites such as youtube or Reddit. Nowadays, most memes are photos with text overlaid onto the image to create a specific tone and message that relates to others or is catchy enough to become popular (as shown here).

Many websites have since been created to service those who want to create their own memes. One popular website is www.quickmeme.com QuickMeme. On this site, users can choose from the vast array of memes that have already been created and choose their own saying to overlay, or they can even upload their own photo and make an entirely new meme from scratch. On the main page of the website, users can also scroll through millions of memes that have been created just for the fun of reading them all.

Websites such as QuickMeme have voting systems that allow users to choose which ones they enjoy the most. Users can then filter out "good" memes opposed to "bad" memes based on their scores and popularity.