this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2024
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Antique Memes Roadshow
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Because they're not memes. I had a heck of a time explaining to my partner that a picture with text on it does not constitute a meme - the same picture used repeatedly with different text captions? Meme.
It did not compute.
Who decides what a meme is? Consensus? The creator? A random moderator? This comment is a meme if we decide it is. Every one of these “memes “ were just random pictures with text until they went viral? Were they not memes until then?
From the dictionary:
Its exactly the part where it is copied and spread. It's just an image macro until then.
A arbitrary comment or image isn't a meme if nobody copies it and spreads it
It annoys me that they specify humorous and internet, even if neither of them is required for something to be a meme. Any idea is a meme if it proves successful in spreading among other people.
"I like Ike" was a meme from the election where Eisenhower became president.
That could be covered by the 2nd definition, I just didn't think it was relevant here: