Memes are images, videos and even audios that go viral on the internet. They are best known for their use as jokes, but they can also be used in advertising campaigns, form of language and even in the disclosure of brands and services on the internet.
Memes are part of the language of the internet and social media. Currently, it is almost impossible for an internet user with active accounts on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok not to come across a viral meme.
Among the younger population, this virtual phenomenon is even more intense. Many of the memes are even more widespread among teenagers, especially those on social networks that are more focused on images, such as Instagram and TikTok.
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What are memes?
Memes are still images, videos and texts that share ideas, criticism or just jokes. With videos and still images, there is not necessarily a need for textual accompaniment, or that is, often just an expression or photo becomes a viral meme, without textual support explanatory.
On the other hand, often a text by itself it can become a meme without necessarily the visual aid, and it can only be a speech, a writing highlighted in a book or a note.
Furthermore, one of the main characteristics of memes is their possibility of transformation and adaptation. The same meme can have multiple versions., and some becoming more viral than the original version. This possibility allows the phenomenon to remain in the spotlight for longer.
Where do memes come from?
The emergence of memes is diverse. At the beginning of the last decade, the emergence of memes on Facebook was frequent. Many of the memes that go viral these days start on Twitter and TikTok.
The topics can also be diverse, from politics to a television show. Famous and anonymous have the same ability to “generate memes”. And the situations are also diverse, and may or may not be recent, as in the case of the image below, from the telenovela Lady of destination, from 2003, from Rede Globo, which became a meme a decade after its original broadcast.
Origin of the word "meme"
Despite having its rise in the last 10 years, the origin of the word meme dates back to the 1970s. The term was coined by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976.. The word was quoted in the book "The Selfish Gene", in which, according to the author, it represented a new form of brain gene that could propagate by replicas to survive.
The author's idea was related to the processes of replication and cultural evolution of ideas, proposing a kind of cultural evolutionism. In an interview with Wired, Dawkins said:
“The meaning (of the meme) is not far from the original. It's anything that goes viral. In the original introduction to the word 'meme' in the last chapter of The Selfish Gene I used the metaphor of a virus. So when someone says something has gone viral on the internet, that's exactly what a meme is, and it seems as if the word has become appropriate for it.”
Read too: Origin of the expression "fill sausage"
Memes and Marketing
Big brands, television companies and even artists have recognized the viral power of memes and are already using this tactic in their advertising and product promotion campaigns.
One of the most popular memes on the internet is Hide the Pain Harold or "nervous laughter". The photo is of a gentleman, András Arató, holding a mug of tea.
Her meme served as a way of expressing bad moments when people needed to hide with a smile. O meme grew and completely changed András' life. Today, the 74-year-old travels the world making TV appearances and commercials.
Brazil, the king of memes
If there are those who say that Brazilians manage to turn every bad situation into a joke, on the internet this “skill” is high. O Brazil is known worldwide for the memes generated in the country. In 2017, American singer Katy Perry recognized Brazil's "title" when she called singer Gretchen, who has dozens of popular memes around the world, to star in the lyric video of your music Swish Swish.
The singer's action was part of the promotion of her work, seeking elements from the internet to compose her marketing action. See the following video:
40 funny memes to laugh and send to friends
By Miguel Souza
Journalist
