Memes are a key part of modern day culture. They can be funny, ironic, or even serious. However, most people don’t know what they really are. T
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What is a meme?
Meme is a type of image that is passed around the internet and social media for people to share. They can be humorous, informative, or just plain weird. All memes have one thing in common: they are meant to be shared with others! Memes usually consist of something silly or funny happening, an idea being expressed through text or images, and sometimes even both.
The origination of the word “meme” is unclear, but it was first used in a 1976 book by Dr. Richard Dawkins called The Selfish Gene. In this work, he discusses how genes can be considered a type of meme because they are passed from one organism to another and affect how those organisms behave or look like.
He also suggests that humans can transmit thoughts through speech as a type of meme too! This explains why there are so many different types of memes out there today – an infinite number actually when you consider all the possible combinations between images and text.
As new ideas arise on social media sites such as TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr etc., people create their own memes with these shared words or phrases for others to see online.
What is the difference between a meme and a GIF?
Gifs are also a type of meme, but memes can be come in many different forms from gifs to text posts. There is no strict definition for what a meme actually is – it’s just something that spreads through online communities quickly and starts conversations.
A GIF is typically an animated image or video that plays on loop when someone views the page with their browser loaded. Gifs tend to lack context because they’re only up for less than a few seconds so memers often use them alone or add onto another gif.
A text post is another form of meme because they can be funny, sad, or just a short but powerful message that’s shared and spread. “Chat slang” is also another type of meme. It includes acronyms and abbreviations of many modern word used online.
Memes can also be used to make a point about an event or situation, but they’re typically made for laughs more than anything else.
