Meme (Internet) (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what a meme is, its characteristics, functions and various examples. In addition, we tell you how its origin and evolution was.

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. It is the most recent digital addition to the genre of graphic humor, in the sense that it allows you to express an opinion, a position or a criticism easily, quickly and using content typical of mass culture, such as cartoons, stills from series television, among others.

Internet memes work like a template: have an image or an animation that can be edited to insert text and thus give it a specific meaning. Hence, the same image serves different contexts, but always used in the same satirical sense. For example, the famous meme of the pensive dinosaur:

dinosaur memes

This meme is usually accompanied by leading 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. The common thing is that the use of these images is ironic and burlesque, but since 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 routine of social networks 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.

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Origin and evolution of memes

the word meme comes from Greek mimemea term translatable as “imitated thing.” However, its entry into Spanish and mass culture comes from English, specifically through the British scientist Richard Dawkins (1941-) and his book The Selfish Gene from 1976, an informative 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 this end, Dawkins established a minimum unit of information that can be transmitted culturally equivalent to the way genes transmit our genetic information. This unit is memes.

However, It is unknown how this word passed from its academic sphere 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 they can be used. connect social network users. The memes They have a lifespan in digital culture and then give way to more popular ones. In this, too, they behave like DNA genes.

Meme characteristics

The characteristics of memes are, broadly speaking:

They consist of simple and short images or animations endowed with a new meaning with the incorporation of the explanatory text.
Its format is light and simple, perfect for massive dissemination on the internet and social networks.
Its content normally comes from mass culture: films, TV series, cartoons or images typical of the 2.0 world and the internet.
replicate and adapt to new content and contexts without losing the essence of its message. The meme of the pensive dinosaur, for example, never loses this elemental trait of meaning.
Generally are used for ironic, humorous or satirical purposes. There is no formal convention regarding its use, but rather the pure use that people give it.
are ephemeral in the sense that once their content is 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 express an opinion, criticism or ridicule, especially on critical or controversial topics 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 actually nothing more than a template, a mold in which the user empties the contents they want and allows them to spread quickly, easily and fun.

Examples of memes

Some examples of popular memes are the following:

surprised pikachu. It is used, in general, to express in a funny way the surprise felt at something that is common knowledge, that is, to express a naive, childish surprise at something known by everyone.

pikachu meme

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 the other weak, spoiled and capricious.

strong weak dog meme

Make me, brother! 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, bro!”.

meme force me

The sad woman who laughs inside. It is used to express one's own or another's feeling of relief, joy or happiness that, however, is not expressed, generally because it would be inappropriate or incorrect to do so.

woman meme

Drake meme. The Canadian rapper Aubrey Drake Graham is the protagonist of this meme that combines two images: one in which he looks smiling and approving, and another in which he violently rejects something. Both are used to express the approval and rejection that third parties feel towards something, generally in an ironic way: what is least convenient or least honest is approved, and what is correct or best is rejected.