Memes are units of cultural information that spread from person to person through imitation, sharing, and repetition. The term “meme” was coined by the biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, where he compared memes to genes as the basic elements of cultural evolution1. However, the concept of memes can be traced back to ancient times, when humans used various forms of expression to communicate ideas, feelings, and humor.
One of the earliest examples of a meme is a mosaic from the 3rd century B.C. that depicts a skeleton holding a cup of wine and a caption that says "Be cheerful, live your life"2. This meme conveys a message of hedonism and nihilism, similar to the modern phrase “YOLO” (You Only Live Once). Another ancient meme is the phrase “Carpe diem” (Seize the day), which was popularized by the Roman poet Horace and later adopted by many cultures as a motto for living in the present.
In the 20th century, memes became more widespread and diverse, thanks to the development of mass media and technology. Some of the most famous memes from this era include “Kilroy was here”, a graffiti that originated during World War II and represented the presence and influence of American soldiers around the world2; “Frodo lives”, a slogan that expressed the admiration and identification of the fans of The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien2; and “Godwin’s law”, a rule that states that as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one2.
The advent of the internet and social media in the late 20th and early 21st centuries gave rise to a new form of memes, which are usually visual representations of feelings, thoughts, ideas, or jokes that are often transmitted through platforms such as 9GAG, 4chan, and reddit2. Internet memes can be images, videos, gifs, or text, and they often use irony, sarcasm, or absurdity to create humor or commentary on various topics. Some of the most popular internet memes include “Pepe the Frog”, a cartoon character that has been used to express various emotions and opinions, sometimes with political or controversial connotations3; “The blinking white guy”, a gif of a man blinking in disbelief that has been used to react to surprising or shocking situations3; and “Doge”, a picture of a Shiba Inu dog with misspelled words that convey its inner thoughts3.
Memes are an integral part of human culture and communication, and they reflect the values, beliefs, and trends of different times and places. Memes can also be seen as a form of visual rhetoric, a way of using images and words to persuade, inform, or entertain an audience2. Memes can have positive or negative effects, depending on how they are used and interpreted. Memes can foster creativity, humor, and social bonding, but they can also spread misinformation, hate, or propaganda. Therefore, it is important to be critical and responsible when creating and sharing memes, and to respect the rights and feelings of others.
Unless stated otherwise, all images are created with Bing's AI by me.