Meme

Synonyms:
See also:	anon meme, kink meme, image macro
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By definition, a meme is a unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. The name comes from a shortening (modeled on gene) of mimeme, from Greek mimēma, something imitated, from mimeisthai, to imitate; see mimesis. The term was invented by Richard Dawkins before the Internet was publicly available. Nowadays the word usually refers to internet memes, ideas more or less rapidly disseminated across the web that spawn varying numbers of mutations and imitations depending on the success of the idea. Internet memes are somewhat removed from the original definition of the word, but as such are an example of the concept itself.

Some general internet memes have inspired fanworks (see Lolcats in Fandom), and others have inspired fans to participate in the memes themselves. Fans on Tumblr, Twitter, and other social media sites have originated many fannish internet memes (see Flower Crowns); in fact the line between a "fannish" and "non-fannish" internet meme is blurry, considering how geeky general Internet culture is. Fandom has also developed some idiosyncratic uses of the word meme (see Kink Meme and Anon Meme).

LiveJournal Memes

In 2000s journal-based fandom, the word meme was used for activities that don't quite fit the general understanding of internet memes, but do involve repetition and rapid spread. On LiveJournal, a meme usually denoted a simple activity, often literary or artistic, perpetuated by repeated participation in the meme by interested parties. Some memes demanded that participants continue to participate, either by insisting that a person who takes part in one stage must take part in the next, or that a person who participates must indicate a certain number of future participants. Such demands were sometimes considered rude. However, even those memes had no way to enforce participation. This sort of instruction is similar to ones found in chain letters that now circulate in email, except that chain emails can last for years, whereas memes generally last for days. Memes differ from challenges by their lack of central organization or timetable.

Common memes include online quiz results ("Which Hogwarts House would you be sorted into?"), series of personal questions ("What's your favorite fanfic?" etc.), icon design or explanation games, and random simple entertainment activities ("Grab the nearest book; turn to page 23; write line 5 in your journal.").

Some communities on LiveJournal were created for meme activities; The Friday Five is perhaps the most well-known.

The fandom-memes community on LJ collects and posts links to fandom-oriented memes, including commentfic, friending, and feedback memes in multiple fandoms.

As of the 2020s, the legacy of this meme lineage persists in the names of certain types of journal communities, called kink memes and anon memes. During active discussion in one these communities, denizens often refer to their community simply as "meme".

Kink Memes

Kink memes are commentfic fests often found on journal sites. They take the form of branching comment threads where users post prompts that others may choose to fill. Most kink memes allow or even mandate anonymity. Despite the name, kink meme prompts and fills aren't necessarily sexual in nature, although many are focused around explicit or at least romantic material. Most kink memes are focused around a single fandom or pairing.

Anon Memes

Anon memes are journal communities where all the comments are anonymous. These communities can serve as the location for a kink meme or as general fannish discussion boards.

Art Memes

Art Memes or drawing memes are popular on Deviantart and Tumblr. One example is the Special Feelings meme, which is especially popular with Japanese anime and manga fans.

Related are Animation Memes, wherein multiple animators will create videos in their respective art styles based on the same soundbyte (usually an excerpt from a song).

Good Omemes is an art anthology featuring Good Omens-themed redraws of memes.

History

(Usenet memes? Comparison to goatse and Rickrolling pranks? LOLcats?)

One pre-Internet related fan activity was to add captions to screenshots. "Caption contests" were common at conventions and in print zines. See Caption Contest.

Some Comments

• "I think the idea of the meme is a ridiculous pseudo-scientific way of talking about culture without having to bother to, you know, learn about culture. Social Darwinian nonsense. That having been said, yes, it's worth pointing out that the LJ use of it has nothing to do with the original use, but I like it better, since "me! me!" actually nicely describes what those quizzes are, and it's a funny-cause-it's-true sort of reappropriation of the word."

Examples/Categories

The gay European flag from Know Your Meme.

See Category:Memes for some memes documented on Fanlore.

• /r/AmITheAsshole; a subreddit whose content and format has become popular meme fodder.
• Breaking News, image-based internet meme
• Emotionally cold character: i don’t do relationships, a tumblr meme
• Notice Me, Senpai, a tumblr meme
• Sometimes I can still hear his voice, a tumblr meme
• Yeah. My boyfriend's pretty cool. But he's not as cool as me, a tumblr meme
• YTMND (You're the man now dog), a meme community website.
• I'm At Soup fanfiction meme.
• Every Friend Group Should Include multifandom meme.
• Boss Baby Problem - fandom and wider internet
• Sometimes like this/also like that - 'shipping meme.