Internet Meme
Internet memes are cultural units resulting from the combination of an image (often a humorous one) and a text (concept or catchphrase) or a piece of media which are spread by Internet, usually through social networks, blogs, email or news sources. However, the term is the center of a theory of cultural evolution: memetics, and it refers to the mixture of words, memory, and mimesis (imitation).
Zoologist Richard Dawkins invented the term meme in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, trying to explain the way cultural information spreads. According to the scientist, a cultural feature or meme evolves & replicates just the same way a gene does it through generations.
An Internet meme may stay the same or may evolve over time, by chance or through commentary, imitations, parody, or by incorporating current events. Internet memes can evolve and spread extremely rapidly, sometimes reaching worldwide popularity within a few days. The success of a meme’s message is subject to the recognition of the sense that it conveys to the users. Furthermore, memes have a social sense for they are reproduced as much as they represent a referent or share a concrete meaning.
All in all, there is a meme to everyone’s tastes, ranging from: Kermit the Frog Memes, the Grumpy Cat Memes to Baby memes and the Philosoraptor, among hundreds of thousands.
Referencias: DEMOS, S. (2014). La Jornada: El significado cultural del meme se propaga con el relajo cibernético. La Jornada. Retrieved 31 March 2017, from https://goo.gl/RhnPVy y Internet meme. (2017). En.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 31 March 2017, from https://goo.gl/IpI1mE