Memes, which were once concealed in the fringes of the Internet, have broken into public consciousness. The Internet phenomenon has found life outside of image boards, and is often presented in mainstream news outlets, television shows, and even university lectures.
The word “meme” was first formally defined by Richard Dawkins as a “self replicating unit of culture.” In the context of the Internet, a meme is vernacular, colloquial, and a form of jargon. It references and is contextualized within the growing phenomena of online communication and non-traditional media. The meme is subversive yet universal; niche yet entirely accessible; democratic, but at times unsophisticated; and material and ephemeral.