Demotivators

Me me me....me2

So for some reason I've been thinking a lot about memes - or to be specific Internet Memes:

The term Internet meme is a phrase used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads quickly from person to person via the Internet, much like an esoteric inside joke. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although this concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.

So this could include such classics as Lolcats or Demotivator posters. These are the simplest memes & most often the most popular for the more geeky/techy amongst us. However, what's better than a picture - a moving picture or "video" if you will! The Youtube generation which has risen up over the past 3-4 years or so means that memes can now be videos rather than just pictures (the so-called viral video).
I think that the humour involved within this field is often brilliant, because it evokes the great comedian in finding humour in everyday situations & seeing the funny side in serious issues.

What it does bring to light it the viral idea -which, although it has negative connotations, creates a "have you seen/heard about" culture, when internet phenomena spread through word of mouth, or through forums.

Of course especial mention should go to the daring 4chanwhere they took the simple idea of forums & added the meme to it.

So where someone posts a fairly amusing picture for example, other people will construct & edit around it. So a classic would be using images from the 300 & editing it to sync in with another meme e.g. King Leonidis in the film should "This is SPAAATTTAA" when added to another cultural pic brings classic results:

About themselves, 4chan say:

4chan is a simple image-based bulletin board where anyone can post comments and share images. 4chan's collaborative-community format is copied from one of the most popular forums in Japan, Futaba Channel. Different boards are dedicated to different topics, from Japanese anime, manga, and culture to videogames, music, and photography. Feel free to click on a board that interests you, and jump right in—anyone can contribute!