Meme facts for kids

Richard Dawkins coined the word meme in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene.

A meme (pronounced "meem") is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture. Think of it like a thought or trend that catches on and gets passed around.

Memes can be anything from a funny picture to a popular saying or even a way of doing things. They spread and change, much like how a virus spreads and evolves. This means memes can be modified, exaggerated, or even combined with other ideas as they move through society.

The word meme was first used by biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976. He wrote about it in his book The Selfish Gene. Dawkins suggested that ideas, like tunes, catch-phrases, beliefs, and clothing fashions, spread and evolve in a similar way to genes.

What are Examples of Memes?

"Kilroy was here" was a popular graffito in the 1940s, showing how a meme can change as it spreads.

Memes are all around us, even if we don't always call them "memes." Here are some common examples:

• Technology: Think about how cars or paper clips have changed over time. New designs are like "mutations" that either succeed and spread, or don't. The most useful or popular designs are copied and become successful memes.
• Jokes: A joke can spread quickly. As it's told more and more, it might change slightly or be adapted by different people.
• Proverbs: These are short, wise sayings that have been passed down through generations. They carry cultural wisdom.
• Nursery rhymes: Songs like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" are taught from parent to child. They keep old words and ideas alive for a very long time.
• Recipes: A recipe for a dish can be shared and changed. People might add their own twist, and the most popular versions spread widely.
• Fashions: Clothing styles come and go, but some trends become very popular and are copied by many people.
• Internet memes: These are probably what you think of most often when you hear the word "meme." They are images, videos, or phrases that spread rapidly online. They are shared through social media, websites, and messaging apps.

Images for kids

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  Imitating the famous cover of the Beatles album Abbey Road (1969), on which the band members cross the road in front of the Abbey Road Studios in a row, has become popular with fans and London visitors

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  The four actresses of the Japanese Manga/media franchise Milky Holmes reenact the Beatles cover in 2010, extending the original Beatles meme by their film costumes

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  In 2011, four cosplayers imitate the above meme during the Manga convention Paris Manga 2012 at a zebra crossing in Paris, thus further separating the meme from the root situation of 1969 tied to the Abbey Road zebra crossing

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  Typical format for image macros

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  A lolcat image macro, of a style popular in the mid-2000s

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  Advice animal meme

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  Example of the "deep-fried" style of meme, where colours are distorted and saturated and characters have glowing eyes

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  A comedic rendition of the Gadsden Flag, which pokes fun at the political position of those who use it, such as libertarians.

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  This image macro belongs to the public domain in the United States as the background is taken by the Department of Agriculture

See also

In Spanish: Meme (cultura) para niños