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A meme (rhymes with "team") is a concept, behavior, or idea that spreads rapidly from person to person within a culture.
Today, the term almost exclusively refers to internet memes: pieces of media—usually funny or relatable images, videos, or text formats—that are copied, slightly altered, and shared rapidly across the internet.
The Origin of the Word
The word wasn't actually invented by the internet. It was coined in 1976 by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene.
Dawkins wanted a word to describe how cultural information spreads, evolves, and mutates over time, much like biological genes do. He took the Greek word mimema (meaning "that which is imitated") and shortened it to "meme" so that it would sound similar to "gene."
Common Types of Internet Memes
Image Macros: A picture with text superimposed over it to establish a relatable situation or joke (like the "Success Kid" example above).
Reaction Images/GIFs: Media used specifically to represent a feeling, facial expression, or response in a digital conversation.
Exploitables: A blank template image where one specific element is easily replaced by users to create a brand new joke.
Copypasta: Blocks of text, often ridiculous or overly dramatic, that get copied and pasted repeatedly across forums and comment sections.
Audio and Video Trends: Viral dances, recognizable soundbites, or recurring video formats, which have become the dominant meme format on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.