Meme Reference
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Contemporary Meme Culture
Text Meme
Instagram, TikTok
Dabloons, TikTok, cat meme, fictional economy, role-playing, doubloons
Originated from an April 2021 Instagram post by @catz.jpeg; gained popularity on TikTok in late 2022.
Image Macro
Twitter/X, TikTok, Instagram
chill guy, phillip banks, meme, internet culture, relaxed attitude, tiktok viral, cryptocurrency
Originated on Twitter in October 2023; gained viral popularity on TikTok in August 2024.
Twitter
how it started, how it's going, glow-up, before and after, format meme, relationship progression, twitter trend
This meme compares two contrasting images or tweets to show progress, irony, or transformation.
Mobile & Social Media Era
girl explaining, denise sanchez, bro girl, girlsplaining, music festival, argentina, reaction meme, social dynamics
Photo taken at a 2018 party became a meme illustrating one-sided conversations.
Tumblr
reaction image, pokemon, ironic surprise, sarcastic shock, popokko, tumblr meme, 2018 memes
A screenshot of Pikachu’s shocked expression used to ironically respond to predictable outcomes.
Reaction Image
reaction image, pointing head, ironic logic, kayode ewumi, reece simpson, hood documentary, black twitter, bad advice meme
A still from a mockumentary series featuring a man tapping his temple became a meme for sarcastic or flawed reasoning.
image macro, reaction meme, split panel, taylor armstrong, smudge cat, real housewives, woman vs cat, argumentative setup
A split image of a reality TV star yelling and a cat sitting at a table became a viral reaction format.
Golden Age of Memes
Reddit/Tumblr/Imgur
reaction meme, denial, crisis, gunshow, question hound, kc green, webcomic, coping mechanism, this is fine dog
A comic of a dog in a burning room saying 'This is fine' became a meme for ignoring chaos.
JPG Magazine/BuzzFeed
image macro, photoshop, exploitable, zoe roth, dave roth, firestarter, controlled burn, dark humor, disaster meme
A photo of a girl smirking in front of a burning house became a meme for chaos or schadenfreude.
stock photo, object labeling, antonio guillem, mario laura, distracted boyfriend, disloyal man, relationship meme, viral 2017
The stock photo went viral in 2017, symbolizing distraction and temptation.