I enjoy these a lot. I really do. I'm part of a group on facebook that basically does nothing but compile these things (in the form of de-motivational posters), the majority of them being original creations by members of the group - and the number of images grows exponentially. What is a meme?
Well, according to the Urban Dictionary, the meme is:
"1. meme
(noun)
1 : an idea, belief or belief system, or pattern of behavior that spreads throughout a culture either vertically by cultural inheritance (as by parents to children) or horizontally by cultural acquisition (as by peers, information media, and entertainment media)
2 : a pervasive thought or thought pattern that replicates itself via cultural means; a parasitic code, a virus of the mind especially contagious to children and the impressionable"
Well that's all well and good, but what does that mean to the average person? You've seen tons of memes. In fact, my posting of a definition was probably totally unnecessary. The internet meme is basically any image, sound, phrase - anything - that gets passed around, via emails, links posted in forums, blogs, etc.2 : a pervasive thought or thought pattern that replicates itself via cultural means; a parasitic code, a virus of the mind especially contagious to children and the impressionable"
Anyone with access to the internet since 2000 or earlier has seen their share of memes - here are some of my favorites over the years.
