Does anyone else remember when something had to go viral first before it became a meme? Seems like the causality changed and now people "create" memes. Back in my day one did not simply create a meme, it had to become one.

The Star Wars kid, numa numa, all your base, Ellen Feiss, double rainbow etc. Can't remember my first still image meme. Maybe overly attached girlfriend, scumbag Steve, good guy greg, one of those.

[–] Walop@sopuli.xyz 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Not really Richard Dawkins' original definition of the term when he created it was on the lines of

A meme is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme.

One of the earliest internet memes was just to photoshop "All Your Base Is Belong To Us" on everything.

4chan used to be the internet meme factory where ideas were copied and mutated before they broke out to the wider internet to go viral.

[–] jcg@halubilo.social 4 points 1 year ago

So that means technically, the idea that people shouldn't be posting screenshots of tweets and calling them memes is a meme.

[–] Walop@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 year ago

Demotivational posters and rage comics were varied from get go and didn't have a single viral hit sparking them.

[–] solstice@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

that spreads by means of imitation

Spreading is in the definition. A comic can become a meme, but not until it has spread.

[–] Walop@sopuli.xyz 1 points 1 year ago

Once an idea is passed to event a single other person it has spread.

[–] Hawke@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

No, because that was never a thing. A meme that “goes viral” is just a successful meme.

A meme is just an idea, even if it doesn’t go anywhere.

[–] vimdiesel@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No because that never happened lol

[–] solstice@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago

Incorrect

[–] danc4498@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The origin of the words meme implied it had to spread to become a meme.

The word has definitely changed in meaning.

[–] Hawke@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It doesn’t really need to spread. If you take the gene comparison, a meme that doesn’t spread is like a person who has no kids. They still have genes even if they don’t spread them.

[–] Walop@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 year ago

[–] danc4498@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah, I guess that's true. I just always thought of the phrase referring to the things that spread, but memes and genes can die without spreading.