Meme Background

Meme templates consist of recognizable patterns and elements that convey ideas and behaviors in various forms of media, including phrases, images, and videos. Each meme often mimics or builds upon a preexisting template, creating a shared cultural reference.

Meme History

The first recognized Internet meme template is considered to be spam, originating from a mass email sent by a Digital Equipment Corporation employee on May 1, 1978. The term 'spam' derives from a Monty Python sketch where spam appears in every menu item, illustrating the annoyance of repetitive messages. This concept evolved into a popular meme in the early 1990s.

Internet Reaction

Micspam, noted in 2006, is an adaptation of the spam meme template, where players in multiplayer online games create disruptive noise through their microphones. Similarly, Godwin's Law, established in 1990, dictates that invoking Hitler or Nazis in discussions prematurely ends the conversation. Additionally, the Rules of the Internet emerged as a humorous reflection of online behaviors, initially linked to the Anonymous community and 4chan, summarizing common internet cultural observations. The evolution of memes continued to expand from these early concepts, leading to the diverse array of memes we see today.