Memes, memes, and more memes; they are everywhere. The meme craze has begun and they show no signs of stopping.
Memes are all over the Internet (viral) known images, videos, symbols or ideas viewed by Internet users. There are a variety of Internet memes. Yet, the ones that are often seen are the animated, rage comic memes and then there are the memes of images of public figures that include a witty or idiotic caption under the picture.
“I send memes to people all the time. I think they’re funny as hell and I even take random pictures of people’s reactions and create my own memes, “said Zachariah Williams, Tyler Junior College freshman.
According to KnowYourMeme.com the rage comic memes are the animated faces of characters created with software like MS paint. Reddit (website that rates viral content by internet users) submitted in 2009 the expression of the “FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU guy, ” which allowed anyone to make a comic by submitting any picture content of their choice using animation. Soon after, the new rage comic faces appeared.
Now, there are meme generators where anyone can create their own. The websites, Memebase Ragebuilders and Dan’s Awesome Ragemaker are just a few of the online generators of memes.
There are so many rage comics like the famous “forever alone meme” which represents a sad expression on an enlarged head that is crying because of the utter sadness of his existence. These memes show the comical reality with a twist and is only made out to be for laughs. The “Cereal Guy,” another well known meme , where a stick figure is eating cereal and spits it out. It can be used for any type of discussion with a surprising reaction.
“I think memes are famous because they use famous people,” said Rachel Stavinoha, TJC sophomore.
Memes are not just comic drawings of people but rather images of public figures or celebrities meant to make people laugh at the celebrities’ expense. Even local people with enough Internet hits can become popular in a couple of seconds just by a simple meme.
There is the meme “Ain’t Nobody got time for that!” people use for different situations but is actually the picture of a lady known as Sweet Brown who was being interviewed by a reporter about a house fire. The interview has become a viral hit and many people use it to make memes.
Another funny type of meme are the LOLCats meme instead of a public figure they use the picture of a funny cat. Fun fact, the first cat memes ever were created was by photographer Harry Whittier Frees in the 19th century, Frees actually dressed animals (mainly cats) in human clothes and anthropomorphized the animal photography.
“I’m familiar with the meme term but I don’t know what it is. As instructors, we provide the tools and the capability to know what programs to use not the content or how it’s used,” said Tim Gill, professor and department chair of Digital and Engineering Technologies.
Memes are just another popular way all Internet users are using to show their opinions or humor to one another.
“I think all the new technology advances are positive developments and I find it exciting,” said Gills.
By Glenda Alvarez
Feature Editor
