Memes - where the hell do they come from?

Yeah, just wondering.

[SIZE="7"]THE
INTERNET[/SIZE]
[SIZE="1"](and 4chan)[/SIZE]

Hivemind.

It's a very interesting concept, but I honestly haven't taken the time to do any serious research on it. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex touches on the idea. Basically, copies without an original. It's a natural aspect of the way society functions. It is seen especially in social insects, which is where the term comes from (as in a beehive).

But hivemind manifests itself heavily in the anonymous environment of the *chans. This is because in all being this one entity "anon", each person is contributing to a single goal, regardless of the individual's direct effect on the goal. In that instant, the individual can cease to be (in theory), as the person's consciousness acts to serve this anon entity's whim. The most amazing things are when multiple people respond a thread in identical fashions at roughly the same exact time (or in quick enough succession that copycatting would be impossible), EVEN when the response is not immediately obvious and not coordinated in some way. The response given might only be tangentially relevant, but due to hivemind at work, it can lead multiple individuals to post the same tangentially relevant comment. There are even instances of two different people posting two different images of the same exact thing (two different screen caps from the same scene in a porn, for example), and both asking for a source on it (this would be in /r/). Don't know if a screenshot exists of that porn example, as I stumbled upon it myself a long time ago, but encyclopedia dramatica has a few screenshots of examples in their article for "hivemind" (be forewarned, however, that site has a lot of NAUGHTY things on it and is definitely NSFW for the most part).

Afrobean, can you stop contributing to this forum with good debates, impressive arguements, and properly executed posts that contain logic and insight?

Thanks.

Afrobean, can you stop contributing to this forum with good debates, impressive arguements, and properly executed posts that contain logic and insight?

Thanks.

Next time I'll just say "They are the product that the Internet Hate Machine was designed to produce."

next time i'll just say "they are the product that the internet hate machine was designed to produce."

not good enough!

4Chan

2Chan

Internetz

4chan that is all.

I still don't know wth a meme 0_o

I'm guessing overused internet lingoz that get annoying after being said a gazillion times...

Basically they are sayings or things that become popular. It's like anything that catches on or is the new fad. Except with the Internet, it works a bit differently. Usually stems from a well-known site or something that happens to spread.... some far less than others.

I would say it's as much the hivemind as Afro posted as it is with how well it spreads (though it really helps spread). Some are more underground and stay there, some come up from it like Rickrolled (as a forum meme thing to Youtube doing it on April Fool's), some just.... shoot way up and become popular. Usually these stem from news postings rather than a forum or a video. Then, like Afro said, things like this can stem and spread from a few different places with the same idea. Which probably means that idea wasn't just a fluke at catching on as it caught on a number of times at the start.

Of course, like trends or fads, they vary in size too (not just where). These tend to correlate in numbers. So I guess by size I should clarify not so much in numbers, but how positive it is in popularity. Some can become really popular, die down fast, and become very well hated. Some stay quite popular for a long time. *shrugs*

To sum it up: a number of factors such as where it starts up, whether it's hiveminded, how it spreads, where it spreads. All important, though hivemind is a great quality for a meme as more people can relate to it and "get it".

I still don't know wth a meme 0_o

I'm guessing overused internet lingoz that get annoying after being said a gazillion times...

The word meme (pronounced /miːm/)[1] is a popular neologism denoting any learned thought, feeling, or behavior. Examples include thoughts, ideas, theories, practices, habits, songs, dances and moods. Memes propagate themselves and can move through a "culture" in a manner similar to the behavior of a virus. As a unit of cultural evolution, a meme in some ways resembles a gene.

eh?

4Chan

2Chan

Internetz

[SIZE="7"]THE
INTERNET[/SIZE]
[SIZE="1"](and 4chan)[/SIZE]

4chan that is all.

Not all fads/memes come from that site.
You forgot:
-LUE
-RI
-LL
-YTMND
-Fark
-Something Awful
-Someone saying so stupid that the internet mocks them

Not all fads/memes come from that site.
You forgot:
-LUE
-RI
-LL
-YTMND
-Fark
-Something Awful
-Someone saying so stupid that the internet mocks them

ah how true i forgot about them, idk about RI though

Youtube, also.

Youtube, also.

I remember one of your memes.

roru meipurusutori

Hivemind.

It's a very interesting concept, but I honestly haven't taken the time to do any serious research on it. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex touches on the idea. Basically, copies without an original. It's a natural aspect of the way society functions. It is seen especially in social insects, which is where the term comes from (as in a beehive).

But hivemind manifests itself heavily in the anonymous environment of the *chans. This is because in all being this one entity "anon", each person is contributing to a single goal, regardless of the individual's direct effect on the goal. In that instant, the individual can cease to be (in theory), as the person's consciousness acts to serve this anon entity's whim. The most amazing things are when multiple people respond a thread in identical fashions at roughly the same exact time (or in quick enough succession that copycatting would be impossible), EVEN when the response is not immediately obvious and not coordinated in some way. The response given might only be tangentially relevant, but due to hivemind at work, it can lead multiple individuals to post the same tangentially relevant comment. There are even instances of two different people posting two different images of the same exact thing (two different screen caps from the same scene in a porn, for example), and both asking for a source on it (this would be in /r/). Don't know if a screenshot exists of that porn example, as I stumbled upon it myself a long time ago, but encyclopedia dramatica has a few screenshots of examples in their article for "hivemind" (be forewarned, however, that site has a lot of NAUGHTY things on it and is definitely NSFW for the most part).

I have no direct experience with 4chan, but I do have extensive experience with Gaia's General Discussion, which is considered to be a 4chan filled with mods who (in vain) try to keep it from being a Chan.

I wouldn't really call it a hivemind. More like a high school filled with (mostly immature) kids jockeying for popularity. I personally think most people on 4chan are just being stupid, and their whole argument against Gaia's Extended Discussion is "ED is filled with retards pretending to be intellectuals, and 4chan is filled with intellectuals pretending to be retards." Encyclopedia Dramatica has a long section on the memes, but also a very long one on the failed memes.

My personal impression is there IS a source to each meme, kinda like a tiny snowball rolling down a mountain. If 4chan takes a liking to it, it is spammed to retarded proportions, if 4chan doesn't, it doesn't. That's why 4chan got epic butthurt when Gaia's admins started stealing Chan memes (ceiling cat, longcat, orly, etc.) and making them into items. Which is in itself retarded, because they claim to be PG-13 but they officially recognized memes which are usually replicated in the background of someone getting his head blown off or hung from a noose.

I have no direct experience with 4chan, but I do have extensive experience with Gaia's General Discussion, which is considered to be a 4chan filled with mods who (in vain) try to keep it from being a Chan.

GAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA

Personally, I get the feeling that Gaia posters are all also 4chan posters, and that's how come 4chan developed into such heavy idiocy... it's a shame too because as 4chan went down, the cancer spread to neighboring sites, where I've feared to even tread lately.

I wouldn't really call it a hivemind. More like a high school filled with (mostly immature) kids jockeying for popularity. I personally think most people on 4chan are just being stupid, and their whole argument against Gaia's Extended Discussion is "ED is filled with retards pretending to be intellectuals, and 4chan is filled with intellectuals pretending to be retards." Encyclopedia Dramatica has a long section on the memes, but also a very long one on the failed memes.

Basically, 4chan's /b/ is trolls trolling trolls. I think the fact that that is even possible is funny.

My personal impression is there IS a source to each meme, kinda like a tiny snowball rolling down a mountain. If 4chan takes a liking to it, it is spammed to retarded proportions, if 4chan doesn't, it doesn't. That's why 4chan got epic butthurt when Gaia's admins started stealing Chan memes (ceiling cat, longcat, orly, etc.) and making them into items. Which is in itself retarded, because they claim to be PG-13 but they officially recognized memes which are usually replicated in the background of someone getting his head blown off or hung from a noose.

Everything starts from something. What I meant by the "copies without an original" is that as a meme becomes identified as a meme, it becomes essentially impossible to cite a specific source on it. Who was the first one to post anon as being a well dressed person with green skin? Who was the first one to post longcat? Who was the first person to post tacgnol? Who was the first to imply that Milhouse was a meme? Who was the first to assert that he is not?

With all these things floating around, it becomes easy for a meme to be picked up without the meme being identifiable as coming from any source. Other times, memes might come together as a combination of existing ideas, which they themselves may or may not be memes unto themselves.

And 4chan isn't the be-all-end-all. Memes can exist within subcommunities as well. I'm sure there are more than a few memes which only apply to the Maple community (take this as a challenge to identify them), I know that another forum I frequent has a number of unique memes, although, to be honest, a smaller selection like that makes it a lot easier to identify the source of a meme (most of them can be traced to a single post or thread from a long time ago). Then there are the things which have popped up uniquely first on Youtube. Those are memes as well, even if they reach fame via message board postings of the Youtube video moreso than Youtube on its own. Then there are things which exist outside the realm of 4chan directly which people flock to regardless, things like tubgirl or goatse.

ps bonus points to everyone for not going "OMFG RULES 1 AND 2". This is the sign that you are not a retard.

The internet. [SIZE="1"]and stop mentioning chans you faggots.[/SIZE]

GAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA

Personally, I get the feeling that Gaia posters are all also 4chan posters, and that's how come 4chan developed into such heavy idiocy... it's a shame too because as 4chan went down, the cancer spread to neighboring sites, where I've feared to even tread lately.


Basically, 4chan's /b/ is trolls trolling trolls. I think the fact that that is even possible is funny.


Everything starts from something. What I meant by the "copies without an original" is that as a meme becomes identified as a meme, it becomes essentially impossible to cite a specific source on it. Who was the first one to post anon as being a well dressed person with green skin? Who was the first one to post longcat? Who was the first person to post tacgnol? Who was the first to imply that Milhouse was a meme? Who was the first to assert that he is not?

With all these things floating around, it becomes easy for a meme to be picked up without the meme being identifiable as coming from any source. Other times, memes might come together as a combination of existing ideas, which they themselves may or may not be memes unto themselves.

And 4chan isn't the be-all-end-all. Memes can exist within subcommunities as well. I'm sure there are more than a few memes which only apply to the Maple community (take this as a challenge to identify them), I know that another forum I frequent has a number of unique memes, although, to be honest, a smaller selection like that makes it a lot easier to identify the source of a meme (most of them can be traced to a single post or thread from a long time ago). Then there are the things which have popped up uniquely first on Youtube. Those are memes as well, even if they reach fame via message board postings of the Youtube video moreso than Youtube on its own. Then there are things which exist outside the realm of 4chan directly which people flock to regardless, things like tubgirl or goatse.

ps bonus points to everyone for not going "OMFG RULES 1 AND 2". This is the sign that you are not a retard.

"Because I can, and it's free" is a Maple community meme, that tried to be yet died off, (mostly anyway)

The internet. [SIZE="1"]and stop mentioning chans you faggots.[/SIZE]

4chan is not Fight Club.

Those rules only need apply during raids to shield the source of the attack from potential backlash. Discussion of this nature is conducive to the ultimate goal of the collective anonymous of the separate chans.