Internet meme

The Hampster Dance is one of the first widely distributed Internet memes and illustrates the characteristic silliness of much of the genre.

The term Internet meme is a neologism used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads in a fast way from person to person via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although this concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.

Description

At its most basic, an Internet meme is simply the propagation of a digital file or hyperlink from one person to others using methods available through the Internet (for example, email, blogs, social networking sites, instant messaging, etc.). The content often consists of a saying or joke, a rumor, an altered or original image, a complete website, a video clip or animation, or an offbeat news story, among many other possibilities. An Internet meme may stay the same or may evolve over time, by chance or through commentary, imitations, and parody versions, or even by collecting news accounts about itself. Internet memes have a tendency to evolve and spread extremely quickly, sometimes going in and out of popularity in a matter of days. They are spread organically, voluntarily, peer to peer, rather than by compulsion, predetermined path, or completely automated means.

The term may refer to the content that spreads from user to user, the idea behind the content, or the phenomenon of its spread. Internet memes have been seen as a form of art. There exist websites that collect and popularize Internet memes as well as sites devoted to the spread of specific Internet memes. The term is generally not applied to content or web services that are seen as legitimate, useful, and non-faddish, or that spread through organized publishing and distribution channels. Thus, serious news stories, videogames, web services, songs by established musical groups, or the like are usually not called Internet memes. Internet Memes over time can show interesting patterns, moving from individual webpages and pictures to user created remakes of popular content.

Types and uses

File:NeverGonnaGiveYouUp official photo.jpg

Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" music video became a popular internet meme in which an individual would play a bait and switch prank to get someone to see the video

Self-promotion

One common form of Internet meme is created when a person, company, product, musical group, or the like is promoted on the Internet for its pop culture value. Vanity sites, for example, are among the first recognized Internet memes. In extraordinary cases where an otherwise non-noteworthy person or incident gains great popularity this way, it is often considered an Internet meme. The myriad jokes surrounding the rather legendary accomplishments of Chuck Norris are an example of this.

Inadvertent celebrity

Often, a person or company becomes infamous by virtue of an embarrassing video, email, or other act. These arise, for example, in the context of dating and relationships, video games, job applications, security cameras and other hidden videos, or collections of bizarre news stories. Some examples include Rick Astley, Chris Crocker, and the Star Wars Kid.

Urban rumors and hoaxes

Many Internet memes are urban rumors, fraud schemes, slander, or false news stories that are either planted deliberately to become an Internet meme, evolve by mistake or rumor, or that jump from an offline source to the Internet. It is common to create fake "for sale" listings on sites such as Craigslist or eBay for no other reason than to amuse people. Web sites such as snopes.com collect lists of such hoaxes or offer services by which users can fact-check popular claims they find on the Internet in order to determine their source and whether or not they are true. Sites like Urban Dictionary collect user-generated information about rumors, neologisms, and other popular culture phenomena, many of which could be considered Internet memes.

Advertising and marketing

Public relations, advertising, and marketing professionals have embraced Internet memes as a form of viral marketing to create marketing "buzz" for their product or service. Internet memes are seen as cost-effective, and because of their (sometimes self-conscious) faddishness, a way to create an image of cleverness or trendiness. Marketers, for example, use Internet memes to create interest in films that would otherwise not generate positive publicity among critics. Political operatives use Internet memes to shape opinion. Used in the context of public relations, the term would be more of an advertising buzzword than a proper Internet meme, although there is still an implication that the interest in the content is for purposes of trivia, ephemera, or frivolity rather than straightforward advertising and news.

Image editing

Perhaps the most popular Internet memes are made by editing images (pictures, drawings, portraits, etc.) because of the easiness that editing an image implies; these kind of Internet memes acquire a broad significance rapidly because they can be shared easily over the internet. These images usually depict a same original image edited or modified in several ways. For example, some accessories may be added, colors or dimensions changed or the background/foreground replaced. Another trend is to create a totally new image or version of the original concept.

Video remixes

One popular trend is to remix video clips from computer games, commercials, films, cartoons, and other sources. Among the techniques used are to rearrange clips to change dialog, slowing or speeding some parts, adding taboo sexually suggestive phrases, and/or repeating infectious lines. These are often known as YouTube Poops, due to being uploaded on YouTube, but many people prefer the original term.

See also

• List of Internet phenomena
• Meme - A unit of cultural information that propagates from one mind to another as a theoretical unit of cultural evolution and diffusion.
• ROFLCon A convention of the people central to the memes and their fans.
• Encyclopedia Dramatica A wiki about memes.

External links

• Meme Timeline - Interactive explorer and player of Internet Memes
• Gary Marshall, The Internet and Memetics - academic article about Internet memes
• Meme Vote - Website that allows users to vote on and discover Internet memes.