If you have access to the internet, there?s a high chance you?ve stumbled upon a meme. The word meme was first presented by, Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist, and comes from the Greek word mimema, which means something that is ?imitated?. The biologist defined the word as a way people shared social memories and cultural ideas, with its unique ability of traveling from ?mind to mind.? But what makes a meme so popular and interesting? It?s relatability.
Relate-able Memes: Toronto Living
Memes can be used to express a certain memory that everyone shares, whether it be how you feel going to university after summer break, the struggles of waking up in the morning, or to your feelings on a certain subject. In our society today, memes are a way of communicating and sharing feelings, virtually connecting many people. Memes have become so popular that Universities and Colleges have even considered offering, ?meme courses? for students to learn about its history and impact. Sounds crazy right?
I personally can spend hours looking through different memes and laughing at how relatable it is to my life. But I can admit that it does take up a lot of your day! And that?s why memes are so special, they connect people through feelings and simple life occurrences.
Viral Memes: Super Bowl Boy
Viral memes are constantly occurring, and when are created, can take over the internet for a short period of time. A good example of this would be the Super Bowl Kid, who became a meme sensation overnight. Due to its virality, advertisers sometimes use Internet memes as a form of marketing to create popularity around a product.
But what makes a meme so popular and interesting? It?s relatability.
Analyzing the ?Brace Yourself? Meme:
A personal favourite meme, Imminent Ned which is also known as ?Winter is coming? is an image of the beloved character Eddard Stark. The character comes from the Game of Thrones HBO television series adapted from George R. R. Martin?s novel series, A Song of Ice and Fire.
The meme is generally used as a template for the saying, ?Brace Yourself ___ is Coming,? depicting an anticipated event or arrival. As many memes are generated, its origin was first found on Reddit in 2011.
Personal Generated meme: Modules are Coming
Throughout 2011, the television series continued to climb the ranks of viewership and ratings, and consequently the image macro series did too. After its creation, the meme template has been used thousands of times to portray relatable content. Searches for the meme under ?Winter is Coming? on Twitter, and ?Imminent Ned? on Tumblr, spiked in 2011, coinciding with the premier episode of the HBO show.
Meme Usage in 2011: Interest Over Time
The trends of the internet are forever changing and adding to history, and memes are only a small part of this. However, when it comes to its impact, memes are a product that bring people together through the same ideas and humour. Just remember, a meme a day can keep the blues away!
Take a moment to create your own meme through the a meme generator like, https://imgflip.com/memegenerator.
