Before he was writing books about his love of God and appearing as Mr Garrison's animated lover in South Park, famous biologist Richard Dawkins unwittingly had a hand in the creation of Internet memes.
In his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, Dawko coined the term meme to explain how cultural information spreads. A shortened form of the Greek word mimeme, or 'imitated thing', the term (pronounced like D-Ream, not Mem) explained how things like catchphrases and melodies came to prominence, spreading around the globe like peace and love, or a nasty cold.
Check out this video, which shows how memes evolved (much to Dawkin's delight) from an academic word to a Gif-laden method of spreading news, views, japes and more.
In the modern world, memes are almost singularly associated with the internet. Visually simple, with a usually straightforward (often witty) message, memes are well-suited to a 21st century that demands information be easy to digest, preferably with a cat, or better yet, cats.
From the pithy put downs of Condescending Wonka to the frank internal monologues of Evil Kermit, internet memes have spread like wildfire since the early days, when they were most likely to be shared via email or on MSN messenger. Now, with the prevalence of smartphones, the blighters are all over the shop. Nice work Dawko. You are the god of the internet.
Perhaps one of the best memes in Memeland is LOLcats, with its combination of cute, fluffy creatures (cats) and generally sarcastic humour, the meme offers brief respite from an often loud, shouty and angry internet world.
In 2018, memes may be a little different from the 'cultural information' spread of Dawko speak, but they continue to shine a light on the current mood, capturing the zeitgeist perfectly, simple messages paired with suitably humorous imagery. Take Memes.2018_'s 'Wanna Go Eat" meme. It could be argued that the post is a social commentary on the millennial generation compensating its inability to get on the property ladder with cheap thrills such as smashed avocado on toast. It could also be argued that it's just a funny post about liking, eating and spending money on food.
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Or there's cr0niclh0e's recent post featuring Kermit the Frog lying on a bed, saying the words "When you're trying to sleep and your brain randomly reminds you of something embarrassing you did 7 years ago."
Again, this meme may well point to the younger generation's increasing levels of anxiety, ennui and existential crises. Alternatively, it's just a witty pic about the random thoughts that tend to shoot through our brain's at the most inopportune moments.
Whatever way you look at it, memes remain one of the best ways to convey the good, the bad and the ugly of human behaviour and feeling, particularly if it involves a much-loved Muppet or, better yet, one or two cats.
Follow Instagram's #memes for more of the dankest memes in Meme Town.
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