Have you ever asked yourself, "Hey, self. How do you make a meme?"
Well, before we get into that, let us ask you this:
Are you, or do you know someone who pronounces meme like "mee-mee"? We all know one of those people. If so, this guide is for them! Or, it's for you.
First of all, it's pronounced "meem." Like mean, but then chop off the "n" and add an "m."
Ok, good. We've got some things settled.
Now that you know how to say the word, perhaps you're wondering: alright, what did this word mean?
According to the literal dictionary, a meme is "an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture" or "an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media."
But also, one does not simply define a meme. A meme is a picture, combined with words and whatever's happening in culture at that moment, to make a little magic.
Or, the classic relatable meme of all time:
A meme, in essence, can be any combination of pictures and words that make you smile, make you think, make you go "oh, that's so true" or even makes you mad.
Memes have been around long since before the age of the internet. Ever heard of hieroglyphics, people? We're sure some cave men out there had some sense of humor.
But really, the term "meme" was first coined in 1976 by Richard Dawkins, deriving the word from the Greek "Mimeme" which means "that which is imitated." Dawkins was studying whether or not there could be a tangible, measurable unit to track how ideas traveled and spread through the generations. He believed that, much like how physical traits change slowly through natural selection, ideas also underwent their own type of natural selection. And these ideas could be measured as memes.
Even so, memes were around before Dawkins. Graffiti, bumper sticks that you slap on the back of your car, and this dancing baby that a graphic designer created to show how movement could be programmed onto computers in 1996:
This GIF was shared by a LucasArts employee via email, and it spread quickly across the web. Yes, another nuanced quality of memes: most are viral, and most people recognize them on sight.
Now, anyone you ask on the street knows what a meme is. They probably have a list of their top five favorite memes, for that matter. Many people probably even have a top twenty. There is an endless stream of memes out there for you to discover.
Now that you know how to say the word meme and what a meme is, your next natural foray into the meme world might be...how do I make a meme? Well, you could...
Wait for inspiration to strike. Think for years about what your perfect meme is going to be. Prepare yourself to be the king of the internet, creator of the most viral meme of all time.
Or...
just use a template of a meme that's already out there. For instance...
This meme is ripe for creating your own content.
As you can see, it follows a specific pattern. All you need to do is use your brilliant mind to fill in the blanks with your own special content that will have people slapping their knees left and right.
There are blank meme templates out there in the world, waiting for you to use them. And they're all just a Google search away.
Now, you've got your meme in mind. You've got your template nailed down. How do you get those pesky words on there?
You could print it out, write the meme in ink, and then scan it back into the computer. But that would mean you're over 100 years old.
So what you really need to do is use a meme generator.
Listen, memes are easy to understand, so why should making memes be complicated? With the official Memes app, you can add captions to pictures and videos with just a few simple taps. No Photoshop (yuck). No complicated editing apps (double yuck). All you need is the app and you can go from idea to publishing within minutes (YAY!).
Even better, with the app you can share with your friends, connect with other memers around the world, and really become a part of a the meme community. And who knows? With your new found knowledge of meming, you may just become a top notch memer who develops a huge following! The possibilities are endless.
Start meming today! Get the app HERE.
