Meme

A meme is defined to be the smallest meaningful unit of information with in the context of a given culture.

Memes Generally

The term was was developed most notably by Richard Dawkins the mid 1970s. The term is derived from the word gene which is a unit of hereditary biologic information. Dawkins proposed the idea that social information could change and propagate through a culture in a way similar to genes in a population of organisms.

Dawkins, being an outspoken atheist, has categorized religion in general (and evangelistic religions, such as Christianity and Islam specifically), as being especially quick-spreading memes.

The Internet has been a source for the creation and prorogation of what many feel are memes. On the Internet an idea can be developed and quickly acquire modifications from users around the world such that the root idea becomes the basis for multiple spin-off ideas, subsets of ideas, and other similar iterations. In this sense, a "meme" evolves, taking on a life of its own through the contributions of users of varied cultural backgrounds.

Many "memes" are humorous in nature. "All Your Base Are Belong to Us" was an early Internet "meme," and "lolcat" is a popular emergent meme. Other memes focus on potential dangers, such as cell phones causing fires at gas pumps.

Popular Internet Memes

LOL Cat

File:Lolcatexample.jpg

An example of an "lolcat" designed by a Conservapedia editor to mock the vandals who attack this site.

A "lolcat" is a meme (runaway, modified internet theme) in which the author takes a picture of a cat, and adds a funny, anthropomorphic caption that is potentially grounded in science fiction, or computer programming, subculture.

Either way, the goal of the "lolcat" is to be funny, self-referential, and build on previous iterations of the "lolcat" meme. Most "lolcat" images include references and liberal use of internet slang, such as "lol," etcetera.

"Lolcats" are receiving increased notice as a prominent part of internet subculture. The most prominent "lolcat" site is I Can Has Cheezburger?.

All Your Base Are Belong to Us

"All Your Base" was a meme popular in 2001, based on a poor Japanese to English translation of the 1989 videogame "Zero Wing." It spawned a massive video, based on the meme's title catchphrase, a notable translation error.

YTMND

YTMND or You're The Man Now Dog is a site dedicated to images/animated gifs that load sound bites in the background that loop.