Memes

I’ve had a couple of conversation is recent weeks where people have claimed that social media has had absolutely no impact on their daily lives.  The majority of these people claim that because they don’t use social networks, visit YouTube or blog they are therefore immune to social’s effects.

Wrong!

I’d argue that engaging with social tools or platforms is irrelevant as the impact of those that do is far further reaching then what many social detractors believe.

I’ve pulled together a few examples of how social impacts a far greater audience than those that consume it online.  So, social is affecting;

Our culture.

LOLCatz, OMGWTFBBQ, Chuck Norris Facts, these are all memes that have made their way into the mainstream conscious, conversation or culture.  Even if you don’t recognize these ideas as memes you probably still recognize the content they produce.

For those that don’t know what an internet meme is, it’s an image, video, phrase or even an idea that spreads from person to person for seemingly no logical reason.  As the meme spreads it evolves, individuals interpret, add, subtract and generally mash the meme up so its personal to them while still retaining the initial construct (image, video, phrase or idea).

I’m curious to know if a brand has ever intentionally, and then successfully created a meme and what the end result was.  The fact that a meme (as opposed to a viral which remains static) evolves means its a very risky space to attempt to play in. After all the brand trying to create a meme could unintentionally become the meme and who knows where that train ends up!

So as I continue to ponder the fascinating world of memes I thought I’d share 5 of my favorites.

1. Oolong the pancake rabbit!

The rabbit of Japanese photographer Hironori Akutagawa became famous when he appeared online balancing a pancake on his head!  Awesome!

2. Lying down game

A mass participatory meme that involves having your photograph taken lying face down in a public space and sharing it on the internet.  The facebook fan page currently has gained over 11,000 fans and hundreds of photos since the meme began in June 2009.

3. LOLcats

Love ‘em or hate ‘em I have a funny feeling that lolcats will be around for many years to come.  White cats are known as ceiling cats and are the gods of the lolcat world.  Conversely black cats are known as basement cats and are loldevils.

4. OMGWTFBBQ

Either originally used to express confusion or to mock people’s overuse of OMG and WTF on the ‘Something Awful’ forums, OMGWTFBBQ is no more than a meaningless jumble of acronyms.

5. Chuck Norris Facts

Everyone has probably received a humorous Chuck mail?  If not expect a round house kick shortly.  The concept originally revolved around Vin Diesel but after interest faded fans were asked to select Vins successor from a list of 10 candidates.  Chuck one without even making the top 10 list and the rest is history!

Here are a few great Chuck facts, feel free to share your own in the comments;

• Chuck Norris has already been to Mars, which is why there are no signs of life
• Chuck Norris is the only man to ever defeat a brick wall in a game of tennis
• When Chuck Norris was born, the only person who cried was the doctor. Never slap Chuck Norris
• When Chuck Norris wants an egg, he cracks open a chicken
• Chuck Norris doesn’t read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants