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January 12, 2017 6:16 AM Subscribe
The year in memes. An interactive look at everything that went viral in 2016, by date.
I feel like somebody confused the terms Viral and Meme in this article. Some of these are memes, but a lot of them were just posts that went viral.
posted by KGMoney at 6:55 AM on January 12, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by KGMoney at 6:55 AM on January 12, 2017 [7 favorites]
Some of these are memes, but a lot of them were just posts that went viral.
For most of the existence of the concept of "memes", that's what they were too.
posted by Etrigan at 7:04 AM on January 12, 2017 [9 favorites]
For most of the existence of the concept of "memes", that's what they were too.
posted by Etrigan at 7:04 AM on January 12, 2017 [9 favorites]
To what degree has viral largely come to mean a promotional means by FaceBook and YouTube? I feel a compulsion to argue only phenomena outside their "share" is viral...
posted by lazycomputerkids at 7:12 AM on January 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by lazycomputerkids at 7:12 AM on January 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
I can't tell you how happy it makes me that I recognize nearly none of these.
posted by blue_beetle at 7:15 AM on January 12, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by blue_beetle at 7:15 AM on January 12, 2017 [11 favorites]
Wow, I am on the internet way too much. I just looked through December and I didn't even have to read the explanations for 90% of them.
posted by AFABulous at 7:38 AM on January 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by AFABulous at 7:38 AM on January 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
What is your birthday meme of 2016?
posted by Kabanos at 7:39 AM on January 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Kabanos at 7:39 AM on January 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
When arguing about "viral" vs. "meme," etc. remember that the concept of memes is broader than just image macros (although, for some reason, the kids lately have been referring to image macros as "memes," even though they are only a very small subset of the idea.)
Looking on Wikipedia, their definition is evolved the one that Dawkins originally made when he invented the term:
The world is not just image macros on Twitter.
posted by MythMaker at 7:42 AM on January 12, 2017 [21 favorites]
Looking on Wikipedia, their definition is evolved the one that Dawkins originally made when he invented the term:
"an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture"So, I'd say the memes more significant this year were things like Black Lives Matter, Make America Great Again, that the election was hacked, "fake news," etc. Heck, Dawkins was talking about things like religion itself being a meme.
The world is not just image macros on Twitter.
posted by MythMaker at 7:42 AM on January 12, 2017 [21 favorites]
the last two months in this is just the opening credits to Se7en
posted by beerperson at 7:48 AM on January 12, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by beerperson at 7:48 AM on January 12, 2017 [4 favorites]
"So, I'd say the memes more significant this year were things like Black Lives Matter, Make America Great Again, that the election was hacked, "fake news," etc. Heck, Dawkins was talking about things like religion itself being a meme."
I agree with you but would like to point out that BLM went viral back in 2014 during Ferguson.
posted by I-baLL at 7:52 AM on January 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
I agree with you but would like to point out that BLM went viral back in 2014 during Ferguson.
posted by I-baLL at 7:52 AM on January 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
To what degree has viral largely come to mean a promotional means by FaceBook and YouTube? I feel a compulsion to argue only phenomena outside their "share" is viral...
they're good memes Brent
posted by foldedfish at 8:02 AM on January 12, 2017 [24 favorites]
they're good memes Brent
posted by foldedfish at 8:02 AM on January 12, 2017 [24 favorites]
Harambe has an entire category. Thanks, Obama.
Is there any truth in the claim that the number of write-in votes for Harambe in marginal states in the Presidential election was greater than Donald Trump's margin of victory in those states?
posted by acb at 8:17 AM on January 12, 2017
Is there any truth in the claim that the number of write-in votes for Harambe in marginal states in the Presidential election was greater than Donald Trump's margin of victory in those states?
posted by acb at 8:17 AM on January 12, 2017
they're good memes Brent
Speaking of, is it me or is that one missing from this list?
posted by dnash at 8:29 AM on January 12, 2017
Speaking of, is it me or is that one missing from this list?
posted by dnash at 8:29 AM on January 12, 2017
Some of these are memes, but a lot of them were just posts that went viral.
I don't know how the use of the word meme to mean "a funny picture with words on it" became so widespread. It's like some kind of...there's no word for it anymore!
posted by straight at 8:36 AM on January 12, 2017 [11 favorites]
I don't know how the use of the word meme to mean "a funny picture with words on it" became so widespread. It's like some kind of...there's no word for it anymore!
posted by straight at 8:36 AM on January 12, 2017 [11 favorites]
The fact that people, here and elsewhere, reduce "The Internet" to a small, geographically, racially, topically and class specified tiny subset of the actual Internet, makes me sad. I know it's just a short hand synecdoche, because these 'memes' are both short-attention-span-demanding, easy to digest yet still seem 'weird' and in-crowdy enough to seem worthy of interest, but there's so much more out there than a few not very funny youtube videos and twitter images.
The whole Meme meme is way played out. Anything after Hamster Dance or All Your Base seems derivative.
posted by signal at 8:47 AM on January 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
The whole Meme meme is way played out. Anything after Hamster Dance or All Your Base seems derivative.
posted by signal at 8:47 AM on January 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
When arguing about "viral" vs. "meme," etc. remember that the concept of memes is broader than just image macros (although, for some reason, the kids lately have been referring to image macros as "memes," even though they are only a very small subset of the idea.)
TBH, it's not like "image macro" really makes sense as a label for the combination of an image and text(Font: Impact, Fill:White, Stroke:Black) either.
At least the kids these days aren't using "meme" to describe those narcissistic 10 Weird Things you Didn't Know About Me survey/chain letter things anymore. I used to make a point, in the rare opportunities that came about to discuss one of them orally, to call it a "me me."
And as long as I'm griping about net-culture related things, am I the only one who hates this new scheme of posting a status that is likely to get attention, then responding in private to anyone who responds to it that it's really just some kind of "Awareness" and they "have to" pick another silly status from a list to pass the thing on? Because they are terrible.
posted by sparklemotion at 8:51 AM on January 12, 2017
TBH, it's not like "image macro" really makes sense as a label for the combination of an image and text(Font: Impact, Fill:White, Stroke:Black) either.
At least the kids these days aren't using "meme" to describe those narcissistic 10 Weird Things you Didn't Know About Me survey/chain letter things anymore. I used to make a point, in the rare opportunities that came about to discuss one of them orally, to call it a "me me."
And as long as I'm griping about net-culture related things, am I the only one who hates this new scheme of posting a status that is likely to get attention, then responding in private to anyone who responds to it that it's really just some kind of "Awareness" and they "have to" pick another silly status from a list to pass the thing on? Because they are terrible.
posted by sparklemotion at 8:51 AM on January 12, 2017
i hate the interface on this. have to keep clicking a meme, scroll down to read about it, scroll back up to click another meme... is there no way to just click through gallery style? without having to scroll around?
posted by jcruelty at 9:29 AM on January 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by jcruelty at 9:29 AM on January 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
oh there are little arrows on either side.
but the size is so big i still have to scroll around just to read each one even though it's just a twitter and a para or two of text per
i think this could have been laid out better.
posted by jcruelty at 9:30 AM on January 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
but the size is so big i still have to scroll around just to read each one even though it's just a twitter and a para or two of text per
i think this could have been laid out better.
posted by jcruelty at 9:30 AM on January 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
the fricking nav bar takes up so much of the screen, and every time i click the arrow it scrolls back to the top... ugh i give up. it's like they didn't want me read more than one or two.
posted by jcruelty at 9:32 AM on January 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by jcruelty at 9:32 AM on January 12, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also the Nav bar is an overlay so it hides some of the content if you attempt to navigate a page at a time. I wonder if the guy that set up the page ever looks at the internet on a non-phone device.
posted by Mitheral at 9:36 AM on January 12, 2017
posted by Mitheral at 9:36 AM on January 12, 2017
No Cask of Amontillado = this list is garbage.
(Previously, for the love of God!)
posted by merriment at 9:40 AM on January 12, 2017 [7 favorites]
(Previously, for the love of God!)
posted by merriment at 9:40 AM on January 12, 2017 [7 favorites]
they're good memes Brent
Speaking of, is it me or is that one missing from this list?
My wife and I both know that one, and given that we are now clueless, uncool parents of a preteen, I suspect that means it doesn't count as a meme.
posted by nubs at 9:57 AM on January 12, 2017
Speaking of, is it me or is that one missing from this list?
My wife and I both know that one, and given that we are now clueless, uncool parents of a preteen, I suspect that means it doesn't count as a meme.
posted by nubs at 9:57 AM on January 12, 2017
The highlight, and possibly the most controversial aspect of the Institute, is a large closed-cybercosm with a population believed to number in the millions, all of which are totally unaware that they reside within a virtual world.
posted by Token Meme at 10:37 AM on January 12, 2017
posted by Token Meme at 10:37 AM on January 12, 2017
This is the only one that has ever been important, ever.
posted by LuckyMonkey21 at 2:08 PM on January 12, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by LuckyMonkey21 at 2:08 PM on January 12, 2017 [3 favorites]
While it's still relevant, I'll tell my Harambe story. Years ago at work we all got an email that said, "your coworker James has legally changed his name to Harambe. Please help him through this transition be addressing him by his new name." So I worked with a guy named Harambe.
Months later, once we were all adjusted and it was old news, I decided to ask what led him to change his name. He told me he changed his name when his divorce was finalized, "Harambe" was Swahili for "Let's come together." That's cool, I said, so your family comes from the Swahili people? I have no idea, he said, I just wasn't looking forward to being a single man in my 50's so I thought it would make a good pickup line. Let's come together, he said, with a wink.
So when I when I hear dicks out for Harambe, I think, yeah, that guy was a dirty old man.
posted by peeedro at 2:39 PM on January 12, 2017 [13 favorites]
Months later, once we were all adjusted and it was old news, I decided to ask what led him to change his name. He told me he changed his name when his divorce was finalized, "Harambe" was Swahili for "Let's come together." That's cool, I said, so your family comes from the Swahili people? I have no idea, he said, I just wasn't looking forward to being a single man in my 50's so I thought it would make a good pickup line. Let's come together, he said, with a wink.
So when I when I hear dicks out for Harambe, I think, yeah, that guy was a dirty old man.
posted by peeedro at 2:39 PM on January 12, 2017 [13 favorites]
I guess you're not still in contact, but I'm dying to know if he regrets it now.
posted by AFABulous at 2:49 PM on January 12, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by AFABulous at 2:49 PM on January 12, 2017 [4 favorites]
That list is gonna be some effed up when they pull Vine offline. All those moments will be gone like ... tears in the rain.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 3:43 PM on January 12, 2017
posted by Ogre Lawless at 3:43 PM on January 12, 2017
The world is not just image macros on Twitter.
Dafuq you say.
posted by drlith at 8:06 AM on January 13, 2017
Dafuq you say.
posted by drlith at 8:06 AM on January 13, 2017
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posted by Literaryhero at 6:30 AM on January 12, 2017 [1 favorite]