July 9: Memes

 

Inspired by a blog post by "Beyond the Scroll", I was wondering how meme culture started. A quick Google search revealed that someone on Reddit had the same question 10 years ago. (The internet is a fascinating place, connecting people across places and time!)

What I found very interesting is that the word "meme" is quite old, older than the Internet. Biologist Richard Dawkins coined the term in his book The Selfish Gene (1976) to describe ideas that spread through imitation, much like genes spread biologically.

Regarding the historical trajectory of memes, they seem to have initially been a part of inside jokes of online communities. Then "templates" arose, which became recognizable like "Success Kid":

Eventually, technologies like smartphones and social media like Facebook and Instagram made memes mainstream. You could create and share memes through multiple platforms with millions of people. Eventually, they became a part of the internet's communication style.

In a sense, memes stopped being content only and became a language. I have seen some Instagram reels where people share their chats with siblings or friends that consist only of memes or reels. That was very relatable as I myself like sharing memes and GIFs.They are simple yet expressive, easily bringing laughter and joy! :D (What is your favorite meme?)