What Exactly is a Meme?
Memes are interesting and are the basic building blocks of
our societal mindset and culture. They are basically cultural items that have
been transmitted from one mind to another and are passed on through things like
writing, speech, gestures, and rituals. Today, the most frequently recognized meme is
in the form of internet memes. These are
passed in similar ways as traditional memes but thanks to technology, get
passed from person to person at extremely fast speeds. It is possible for an
interesting meme to move from obscurity to fame in a matter of hours.
Internet memes are passed in a variety of ways through the resources of the internet. Many are passed on through emails, one friend sending it to another. Others are passed through Instant message programs, through social media websites, and also on sites that base their entire business model upon finding and posting the newest memes. The most popular internet memes are said to “go viral” which basically means they are passed to a huge amount of people in an extremely short time, sort of how a real virus passes from person to person quickly and infecting them. The goal of internet memes is to achieve this, as it will be much more likely to survive if it can do that. Big businesses today are beginning to realize that the internet meme could be a great advertising tool, and many are beginning to take advantage of it. The popularity of this form of meme is undeniable, and it seem very unlikely that it will disappear any time soon.
Internet memes are passed in a variety of ways through the resources of the internet. Many are passed on through emails, one friend sending it to another. Others are passed through Instant message programs, through social media websites, and also on sites that base their entire business model upon finding and posting the newest memes. The most popular internet memes are said to “go viral” which basically means they are passed to a huge amount of people in an extremely short time, sort of how a real virus passes from person to person quickly and infecting them. The goal of internet memes is to achieve this, as it will be much more likely to survive if it can do that. Big businesses today are beginning to realize that the internet meme could be a great advertising tool, and many are beginning to take advantage of it. The popularity of this form of meme is undeniable, and it seem very unlikely that it will disappear any time soon.
