If you’ve spent any time on social media, then you’ve definitely experienced a meme. Originally coined by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene, Dawkins uses the term to describe the way that information spreads through the culture. Marry that thought with a gif or a boomerang, and you have the 21st century creation – a digital meme.
In addition to being a digital metaphor in and of itself, I think a meme is also a metaphor for the digital age. They represent a shortened form of communication where the images convey as much meaning, if not more, as the language used. And when well-crafted, a meme will go viral.
Anyone can create a meme. There are plenty of apps to generate one. But, as with metaphors, some memes are more apt than others. Some people also employ them better than others. One of my favorite memes is about just this phenomena and features Inigo Montoya from A Princess Bride. The famous phrase “You keep using that word; I do not think it means what you think it means,” is itself a meme. However, my favorite use of Inigo Montoya features him referencing the memes themselves.
poliRhetoric 