Memes

Hello! Surfing the internet has always been one of my favourite hobbies. You never fail to come across something interesting or quirky. This past year, I have begun to take notice of an internet phenomenon that is becoming increasingly popular - internet memes!

I'm sure all of you have come across an internet meme at some point, whether you knew it or not. Memes are concepts that become viral, and spread through the internet. They can be in the form of a picture, video, phrase, a recent fad. They spread quickly using many of the social media platforms we talked about throughout the term, such as Facebook and Twitter. The term meme was coined by Richard Dawkins, the author of The Selfish Gene. In it, he talks about how Darwinian principles can be applied beyond genes - they can also be extended to cultural evolution. Dawkins uses the word meme to refer to cultural entities that can be replicated, combined, refined, or modified, and thus evolved over time. While memes are often silly and humorous, they are a reflection of the culture of today, and it is undeniable that they have a significant impact on us today. Some examples of memes that I'm sure you have all seen or heard of are Rebecca Black's 'Friday', and planking, a recent fad. Rebecca Black is an example of how powerful internet memes really are. Overnight, her video became an online sensation, amassing millions of views and earning her millions on iTunes. However, while she did have a lot of publicity, it was mostly negative. She had over 500,000 dislikes on her YouTube video, and generated a torrent of hateful comments and parodies mocking her.

As can be seen in Rebecca's story, memes can be used as a tool for promotion and branding yourself. However, in her case, it might not have given her the kind of publicity that she wanted. Marketers are quickly catching on, and using memes to advertise and promote their products or ideas. It is an inexpensive and trendy way of spreading an idea. However, it is also very unpredictable, with no way of knowing what will become the next trend. Another example of a meme success story would be that of blogger Eric Nakagawa. He created the internet meme lolcat. They are pictures of cats with humorous depictions. This may not seem very impressive, but his website is now worth $2 million, and has millions of hits everyday.

The University of Alberta has its own meme page on Facebook, where students can post memes related to their classes, professors, and their university experience in general. The great thing about memes is that they are easy to change so that they can be applied to you, and the vast amount of different memes out there let you use them in many different situations. I was studying in the library one day, and left to get a drink. When I came back on my computer, I found a meme waiting for me on my desktop:

Figure 1. Y U No Internet Meme
From Chau Chin Yo (personal collection. April 13, 2012)

While internet memes can be hilarious, it is also important to realize that sometimes we are laughing at someone else's expense. You never know what can become an internet meme, and this is another reason to be so careful of what you post online. You might go online one day and realize that overnight, you have become famous - and sometimes not in a good way.

Another way memes can impact us is through language, and how we communicate. Check out Cassandra Holte's blog to read about txt spk and communication today!

Thanks for reading guys, and hoped you learned a bit more about memes today!

References:


Arandilla, R. (2011, Sept). The Power of Internet Memes. Retrieved on April 13, 2012 from:  
        http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/power-internet-memes/

Wikipedia (2012, April 7) Internet Memes. Retrieved on April 13, 2012 from:
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_meme