Meme (Internet): We explain what a meme is, its characteristics, functions and various examples. In addition, we tell you how it originated and evolved.
What is a meme?
In Internet jargon, a meme is known as a widely circulated digital content that combines multimedia elements (images, animations, sometimes audio and video) with an explicit or implicit message, for humorous and/or satirical purposes.
This is the most recent digital addition to the genre of graphic humor, in the sense that it allows an opinion, a position or a criticism to be expressed easily, quickly and using content from mass culture, such as cartoons, frames from television series, among others. You must read about Father’s Day once.
Internet memes work like a template: they have an image or animation that can be edited to insert text and thus give it a specific meaning. Hence, the same image can be used for different contexts, but always used in the same satirical sense. For example, the famous meme of the pensive dinosaur:
This meme is usually accompanied by tricky questions, false doubts or intentionally absurd thoughts that are intended to be ridiculed.
In this way, the image has its own meaning, which can be combined with the context desired by the user. It is common for the use of these images to be ironic and burlesque, but as their use is not subject to any norm or convention beyond popular use, a meme can also be used in an offensive way.
The fundamental thing about memes, however, has to do with their circulation. These images and animations are the daily bread of social media and messaging, to the point that there are accounts and pages entirely dedicated to producing memes, and millions of users willing to use and personalize them. The meme has become one of the main expressive artifacts of internet communication, and there are numerous studies regarding its dynamics and cultural value. You must read about Children’s Day once.
Origin and evolution of memes
The word meme comes from the Greek mimema, a term that can be translated as “imitated thing.” However, its entry into Spanish and mass culture comes from English, specifically from the hand of the British scientist Richard Dawkins (1941-) and his book The Selfish Gene from 1976, a popular work on the theory of evolution.
In this study, Dawkins reflects on human behaviors that are contrary to the reproductive mandate of the species, that is, those that do not contribute to the spread of the individual’s genetic information, but that are still common and frequent in various cultures. To do this, Dawkins established a minimum unit of information that can be transmitted culturally, equivalent to the way in which genes transmit our genetic information. This unit is the meme.
However, it is unknown how this word went from its academic field to the world of the Internet. But the truth is that it did so with resounding success, and since then memes have changed and evolved, acquiring not only technical complexity, that is, a greater diversity of formats and transmission mechanisms, but also creating their own language with which social media users can connect. Memes have a lifespan in digital culture and then give way to more popular ones. In this, too, they behave like the genes in DNA. Maybe you should definitely read about NSFW once.
Characteristics of memes
The characteristics of memes are, broadly speaking:
- They consist of simple and brief images or animations, endowed with a new meaning with the incorporation of explanatory text.
- Their format is light and simple, perfect for mass dissemination on the Internet and social networks.
- Their content normally comes from mass culture: films, TV series, cartoons or images from the 2.0 world and the Internet.
- They are replicated and adapted to new content and contexts, without losing the essence of their message. The pensive dinosaur meme, for example, never loses this elementary feature of meaning.
- They are generally used for ironic, humorous or satirical purposes. There is no formal convention regarding their use, but rather the pure use that people give them.
- They are ephemeral, in the sense that once their content has been expressed and replicated or reproduced virally, they go out of fashion and are replaced by new, more popular memes.
Function of memes
Memes have a clear purpose, which is to express an opinion, a criticism or a mockery, especially on sensitive or controversial issues within social networks. When their use is widespread, they can become iconic, in the sense that they become symbols or references for certain groups of users. Even so, the meme is really nothing more than a template, a mold in which the user pours the content they want and allows for quick, easy and fun dissemination.
Examples of memes
Some examples of popular memes are the following:
Surprised Pikachu
It is generally used to express in a funny way the surprise that is felt at something that is common knowledge, that is, to express a naive, childish surprise at something known to everyone.
Strong dog and weak dog
It is used to establish a ridiculing comparison between two conditions, two eras or two people: one brave, powerful and self-confident, and another weak, spoiled and capricious.
Force me, prro!
It is used to express opposition, rebellion or infatuation against a mandate, a recommendation or a trend. It is usually accompanied by the phrase “force me, prro!”.
The sad woman who laughs inside
It is used to express one’s own or someone else’s feeling of relief, joy or happiness that, however, is not externalized, generally because it would be inappropriate or incorrect to do so.
The Drake meme
The Canadian rapper Aubrey Drake Graham is the protagonist of this meme that combines two images: one in which he appears smiling and approving, and another in which he violently rejects something. Both are used to express the approval and rejection that one or others feel towards something, generally in an ironic way: the least convenient or least honest is approved, and the correct or the best is rejected.
The man looking at another woman meme
A classic among memes, this image of a man whistling at a passerby while his girlfriend looks on indignantly is used to express unhealthy tendencies in oneself or others, that is, things that one does even though it is not necessary or one has a better alternative. For example, someone who buys books despite already having a huge pile to read.
