Maybe you’ve heard of a meme however don’t fairly “get it.” Chances are high, although, you’ve seen a meme and associated to it—even for those who didn’t know what it was referred to as. Memes are a cultural phenomenon usually used as a type of social commentary.

What makes a meme profitable isn’t its size however somewhat its capacity to resonate with a specific viewers and seize a cultural second or pattern. Right here, we’ll outline and clarify what a meme is and provide a number of ideas in case you need to attempt your hand at writing your individual meme.

What’s a meme?

Now, you could be questioning the right way to pronounce the phrase meme. The right pronunciation is meem (rhymes with dream). The trendy-day definition of a meme is a humorous picture, video, piece of textual content, or GIF that’s unfold throughout the web, sometimes on social media, and infrequently with slight variations. Memes could be created by anybody and could be about something, from present occasions, to mundane duties, to popular culture references.

The size of a meme varies. As a result of they’ll take the type of pictures, symbols, textual content, movies, or GIFs, they are often as brief as a single picture or phrase and so long as a multi-minute video with an elaborate narrative. Some memes have short-lived bursts of recognition on social media, whereas others endure for years.

Memes seem virtually in all places you discover digital information being shared, together with:

• Social media platforms, akin to Twitter, Fb, Instagram, and TikTok
• On-line communities like Reddit and Tumblr
• Messaging apps, akin to WhatsApp, Discord, and Telegram
• Picture-sharing websites like Imgur and Flickr
• On-line boards and dialogue boards

The place do memes come from?

The idea of memes traces its roots to biologist Richard Dawkins’s 1976 guide, The Egocentric Gene. Dawkins outlined a meme as a cultural unit that spreads from individual to individual, a lot as genes unfold by replica. The time period meme itself comes from the Greek phrase mimeme, which implies “that which is imitated.”

Dawkins’s guide reveals that examples of memes return centuries. However as of late, after we consider memes, web memes are often what come to thoughts. The primary web meme is broadly thought-about to be the “Dancing Child,” a 3D animated child doing a cha-cha dance that turned standard within the late Nineties.

What’s the aim of a meme?

Memes serve quite a lot of functions, together with the next.

• Offering humor, analogy, or leisure
• Expressing feelings and emotions
• Conveying cultural references and social commentary
• Fostering a way of group and belonging by shared experiences

How you can determine a meme

Memes are identifiable as a result of they’re a widespread phenomenon. Most memes can be repeated and shared a number of occasions—you may even see a number of iterations of the identical meme. They often embrace some aspect of humor or sarcasm mixed with a visible aspect that’s culturally important.

To determine a meme, you’ll be able to search for the next traits:

• A recognizable format or fashion
• Humor or irony
• Simply shareable on the web
• Popular culture or current-event references

It’s simple to confuse memes with GIFs, and generally GIFs are memes, however not all of them. A meme usually contains a picture with humorous or satirical textual content overlayed on prime. A GIF, however, is just a brief, looping video clip.

7 ideas for writing a meme

Now that what a meme is, you could need to attempt writing your individual!

Listed below are seven ideas for writing a meme.

1
Select a relatable subject or pattern.

2
Incorporate a related picture or GIF.

3
Use humor, sarcasm, or irony to make it humorous.

4
Develop a number of choices earlier than deciding on the one which feels essentially the most relatable.

5
Preserve it easy and concise.

6
Guarantee it isn’t offensive or inappropriate.

7
Listed below are some widespread parts to incorporate in a meme:

• A picture or video that’s recognizable and simply related to the joke or idea
• Textual content that’s humorous, intelligent, or relatable
• Social, cultural, or political references that resonate with the target market

3 examples of memes

The enjoyable factor about memes is that you could make them your individual! Listed below are three examples from Grammarly’s social media.

1
Identify a greater trio, I’ll wait

2
Ideas I’ve . . .

3
Little Miss . . .

Meme FAQs

What’s a meme?

A meme is an idea or concept that spreads virally from individual to individual. The most well-liked memes are often discovered on the web and could also be pictures, movies, phrases, or hashtags. They usually convey a humorous standpoint, cultural reference, or satirical message.

How does a meme work?

A meme is a cultural phenomenon that’s unfold by social media or different platforms. An individual creates a picture or video with a humorous or relatable message, which is then shared with others. Typically, many iterations of the identical meme can be created, extending its reputation.

How is a meme structured?

A meme is made up of a picture or video with accompanying textual content. The textual content could also be two strains framing the picture or video, phrases labeling objects, or a easy caption.