Internet memes
We deal with them on a daily basis, using the network.
They make us laugh, sometimes make us angry, but they always make us curious.
They are a colorful and inseparable part of internet reality. But what are
internet memes? How can they be used and what functions do they perform? Let me
present the most accurate information about this phenomenon.
Definition
The internet meme is, in the most general terms, a
piece of information placed on the internet, intended to attract recipients and
arouse their interest. Memes may take a variety of forms – photos with humorous
commentary, short videos or text messages. An internet meme is supposed to
evoke emotions – usually its purpose is to make people laugh, but we are also
able to find memes on the web that are banal, irritating or even distasteful.
An important property of meme is its viral nature. A meme becomes a meme when
it’s duplicated – and not once, but many times. Every person who uses the internet
immediately knows that they came across a meme – and that is incredible.
Genesis
The first use of the term “meme” appeared in 1976.
Richard Dawkins, a British zoologist and publicist, compared memes to biological
genes, describing them as information and ideas transmitted between people,
replicating themselves, adapting to changes in the environment or just
disappearing, like genes. After twenty years, the wording of the “meme” has
evolved and passed into the sphere of culture and entertainment.
Main types and functions
The most common types of memes are:
- political and social – nowadays literally every socio-political event is reflected in memes,
- with animals – the most common animal memes are the ones with cats, but also dogs, horses, rabbits – it all depends on the context and the idea,
- positive or negative – this kind of memes calls for positive thinking, they can also show the beauty of the world around us, and vice versa,
- feminine or masculine – as the name suggests, they relate to characteristics, playfully speak about a given gender or cover their topics of interest,
- about sport – after each major sporting event, the internet is flooded with, for example more or less funny pictures of the fans' feelings,
- and a lot more...
On the one hand, internet meme is entertainment, but
it also often enters the moral sphere, it’s a reaction to various events in the
country, allows you to protest against specific events, express your views,
fears and desires.
Memes are increasingly used by advertising agencies to
support marketing campaigns. Some of the phrases used in ads have penetrated
everyday life and have become part of everyday speech.
However, when creating a meme we should be very
careful, now internet users are very sensitive to any attempts of
"artificially" controlling their emotions. It’s worth carefully
planning and testing the broadcast materials, so that the product or service
offered instead of effective advertising doesn’t become a joke topic.
Questions
1. What is your attitude towards memes? Do you like to
browse them or do you prefer other forms of entertainment?
2. What is your favorite and most hated meme? Please
provide an exact example of a meme or its template.
3. Do you think that the popularity and reputation of
memes in their current form will remain at such a high level, or there will be
a breakthrough and some equivalent will be found?
Sources
Comments
I like memes with the Polish Prime Minister on raising taxes, memes on student life and memes on people practising in the gym. I do not like memos laughing at sick people.
In my opinion, memes won't last long in the Internet, as every fashion in the Internet will probably pass away soon or their form will change because people like to laugh at others.
Nowadays memes in the internet are simple and easy way of expression and I think that this is pretty great. Think about that - someone somewhere in the world took some of their time to entertain you.
It is hard to answer this question because I don't have favourite meme and their popularity tend to change through time. I often browse them on imgur and they sometimes post a picture with most popular memes through each month and it gives me a perspective how quickly they change to different topic.
I enjoy abstract and absurd humor. There comes to my mind a lot of different memes when I think about it but if I had to choose there would be moth memes:
https://i.imgur.com/CvWjdvU.jpg
Trebuchet memes:
https://i.imgur.com/a2wJUDt.jpg or https://i.imgur.com/M8Kk0kk.jpg
And Spiderman memes:
https://i.imgur.com/7B6aFyT.jpg
Memes evolve and at this moment in their current format they are easily produced and easily digested. I believe they will change further and there will be plenty of memes that we wouldn't normally called a meme because we mostly think about memes as of only internet memes but their current format will remain along the new changed memes.
There will be change of topics and some memes will "die" while there will be tons of new ones.
2. I don’t think I have one. But if we can count GIF’s in, then all of my favorites would be the ones with sloths (Ok, so my favourite meme would be anything portraying a sloth, I guess)
3. I think there is a high probability they will remain popular. They are a great, simple and fast way to communicate something ironically or consistent with the topic or situation. We live in the society that is consumed by visual information. Because of that I think memes fit everyday life and habits of 21st century people, that like to communicate with emojis, GIFs or memes very well
2. It took me some time to answer this question. I'm not sure it is my favourite template but I enjoy most of the Patrick Star's Wallet memes. here is the original:
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/286/448/863.png
and here is one of the possible usage:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c4/74/81/c47481e6b33623550e90702567b10d22.png
When it comes to the memes I dislike those are the memes that are overused when they came out and then they disappeared, such as Caveman Spongebob:
https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/caveman-spongebob-spongegar.png?w=800&quality=85
used like this: https://i.imgflip.com/15e92t.jpg
It has never been very funny, but, for a while, it was everywhere which frustrated me a bit.
3. Memes are certainly something new, however, they are based on satiric pictures that you could have found in papers (when those were popular ;) ). People enjoy a little humour and satiric commentary on current events. They may change a form a little again, but they will remain popular.
I like to browse memes. This is now a top topic. even grandmothers and young children talk about memes. However, I never search and create memes myself. Rather, it is based on what someone will send me.
2. What is your favorite and most hated meme? Please provide an exact example of a meme or its template.
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&biw=1440&bih=837&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=8f8qXu77GoXPrgSSoLeQBg&q=meme+programmer+fire+on+project&oq=meme+programmer+fire+on+project&gs_l=img. 3 ... ... 56898.58542..58672 0.0..0.53.635.13 ...... 0 .... 1..gws-visa-img.qBqwXyj3lEw & ved = 0ahUKEwiuuIf_uZznAhWFp4sKHRLQDWIQ4dUDCAY & uact 5 = # = imgrc uUcPaDQDJk-Lym:
3. Do you think that the popularity and reputation of memes in their current form will remain at such a high level, or there will be a breakthrough and some equivalent will be found?
I think the era of memes on the internet will continue. but like everything on the Internet, it will go away someday :)
I like the form of presentation that memes is. Usually I don't search for them myself but they appear at various articles or as a post on social networking sites.
2. What is your favorite and most hated meme? Please provide an exact example of a meme or its template.
I really like memes that ridicule stereotypes and those that comment on current world events in a funny way. An example is Proboscis monkey which represents a stereotypical Pole. I don't have any memes I'd be particularly reluctant to give. I do not like using them where there should be a substantive discussion, e.g. among politicians.
3. Do you think that the popularity and reputation of memes in their current form will remain at such a high level, or there will be a breakthrough and some equivalent will be found?
I think that the current form of memes will remain in force for a long time.
I don’t have any favorite or most hated memes, but at times the network fills with one kind of meme on various topics that flashes before my eyes, which is very annoying. So for example, lately very often I see the meme Toss a coin to your Witcher from the series The Witcher, it already really infuriates.
I don’t know, I perceive them as ordinary jokes, people will always joke, therefore, memes will not disappear anywhere, maybe they will be presented in a another form.
2. I’m not sure, memes lifespan is rather short and new memes appear constantly, plague all the Internet and then usually retire. Because of that, I can’t remember a meme I can call “the most hated” for me – as well as my most favorite – there just so many of them. Maybe I can pick out the Kermit the Frog templates – they are just so diverse you can always find the one you need at the moment.
3. I think they will eventually evolve into some other form but for now, they are with us for a long time.
2. For now, my favs are Baby Yoda memes. I don't have the most hated meme but there are so many of them, that it's actually hard to find something outstanding. Templates come and go so fast and they are becoming boring after a while.
3. For sure, but in my opinion memes will stay for a long time. It'd be difficult to come up with even more easy way to entertain people.
2. I like tuxedo pooh and I hate meme with weird old men. He is creepy.
3. I think that nothing will change. And in the near future they will still be just as popular as they are now and there won’t be any new counterpart.
2. https://i.imgur.com/w2XKx0R.jpeg, https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2017/08/shutterstock_297886754_-_h_2017.jpg
3. I think there’s a good chance that memes will remain highly popular, however it’s plausible that their form will evolve in some way. Throughout the last few years, memes have drastically changed and I suppose this process will only accelerate.
I like to watch them but occasionally. They are very addictive and you can't watch just a little bit. It's like chips.
2. What is your favorite and most hated meme? Please provide an exact example of a meme or its template.
I don't have a meme I don't like, I'm sure I like new things. When a pattern is repeated too often, I get bored.
3. Do you think that the popularity and reputation of memes in their current form will remain at such a high level, or there will be a breakthrough and some equivalent will be found?
There will definitely be an equivalent. Whenever we think that something can't be done better, it turns out differently.
2. I like all the memes, maybe some are worse than the others, but I think that doesn't matter. I mostly like edgy and NSFW memes, which I can't post here :).
3. I believe that the popularity of memes will remain, just the form will change a bit.
2. I don't think I have favourite or least favourite format of memes. Some of them are just funny some of them not. Sometimes I don't understand a meme because it deals with a topic I am not into, sometimes a meme is just too complicated for me :D
3. I think that they will remain popular for a long time. Maybe in future something will change but I doubt that.
2. I think it's best to provide a link to the meme.
https://demotywatory.pl/4559129/Lozko-i-budzik
3. I think there will certainly be some new form but I think the humorous character will remain.
2. I mostly find funny bio-chemical and introvert memes. They are not as common as political ones but their humor appeals to me.
I truly hate stupid, stereotypical, sexist humor or actually any extremely offensive.
3. I think there always will be something new. Trends are changing in an eye blink. Have no idea what it could be instead, but i'm sure there will be time for something new in this area as well.
I love the meme with the screaming girl and a cat - I’m pretty sure that everyone knows this template and I don’t have to provide the link :) There are two memes which I never liked - they just seem stupid and unfunny to me - are big chungus and the hamster looking into mobile camera. I’ve seen a lot of memes that are using those templates and they were never good.
I mean, can you really define what is “the current form of the memes”? Memes are made from photos, drawings, music, sounds, videos, animations - the format is so fluid that I think every even distantly “new” thing could be easily classified as a meme. So, I guess, yeah, memes will be with us for a long time, but maybe in just slightly different form.
I don't believe I have anything like most hated nor most liked one, memes are equal for me.
It's impossible to tell. Of course if anything more funny or more more relevand would come up than memes would shade away.
1. I like memes a lot. I am using thems everyday. My friends message it to me, sometimes I browse, but it is occasionaly. I can not imagine a world without memes these days.
2. I like the meme with the piccachu these days. I think I do not like the corpo memes, it doesnt make me feeling fun. Some of them are patetic in my opinion.
3. Maybe they will change their form a little, it is hard to say. The level of them is really huge. Sometimes on presentation in the University or business meetings we are using memes. It would be hard to make them "die".
2. I don't know if I have most hated meme. Some of them I just don't understand or don't make me laugh. And also it's hard to pick the favourite one. Recently there is a lot memes using scenes from The Witcher from Netflix like: https://static3.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Witcher-meme-geralt-happy-sword-Edited.jpg
3. Memes will never die. There will be worse times, there will be fewer of them, but they will raise again, even stronger than ever!
I really like to browse memes, of course if they are good and not old. Regarding my favorite meme:
there are too many of them that I would choose, but a lot of my favorites are on chamsko.pl :).
The worst memes are those that are made by force and unfortunately there are a lot of them.
In answer to your last question, I think memes will be for a long time and I will find it hard to find an intent
more popular and funny
2) I don't think I have the most hated meme. At the very least, I have a very hard time coming up with one, but as for my favorite one, it is the socially awkward penguin, especially its two-colored variation. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/socially-awkward-penguin For some reason, jokes based on this template almost never fail to entertain me.
1) I think with time, many of the currently popular memes will be forgotten, but memes, in general, are probably with us forever. In fact, if you think about it carefully, memes very a thing way before the internet just in another form, so there is a little reason to believe something so long lasting will go away anyway soon.
2. I don't have a favourite one, but I think one meme is very funny and works as an answer to everything "One rabbi will say yes, and another will say no". This is a universal answer to all life's dilemmas.
3. They will certainly stay with us for a long time. But who knows if in the near future someone doesn’t come up with some brilliant substitute.
Yes, I really like browsing memes or as some call it: funny pictures from the internet
2.
I really enjoy memes that shouldn't be posted here :)))))
hmm there are also some which I don't like - maybe czech memes or IT related memes
3. Most memes lives approximately ~1 month. I hate when people use old or dead memes. Only some deserve to be called immortals, but this is very rare.
2. Difficult question. I never thought about it but I don't think I have one favorite meme. I really like watching memes after some unsuccessful match of the Polish national football team or the current political situation in the country - they are really enticing.
3. I don't know but it will turn out in the future but I think they have a very good chance of surviving because they are a source of quick entertainment that in ironically ways shows various facts from life which will always be up to date.