{"id":47856,"date":"2012-01-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-01-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/a-beginners-guide-to-internet-memes\/"},"modified":"2012-04-12T13:48:54","modified_gmt":"2012-04-12T13:48:54","slug":"a-beginners-guide-to-internet-memes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/2\/27179\/internet\/internet-meme\/a-beginners-guide-to-internet-memes","title":{"rendered":"A Beginner’s Guide to Internet Memes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether it\u2019s Chuck Norris roundhouse kicking the universe into existence or a video of a cat on a piano, the world of Internet memes is an unpredictable place where almost anything can go viral. While viral Internet memes are still a relatively new phenomenon, we\u2019ll look at some of the most popular ones and try to classify them into their five main types: phrasal memes, pic memes, video memes, interactive memes and promotional memes. <\/p>\n

A meme<\/a> is an element of culture that is passed from one individual to another, usually through imitation. While it\u2019s very hard to say what special element makes some memes go viral, it is possible to look back on the ones that had the biggest impact on popular culture. <\/p>\n

Phrasal Memes: When Sayings Catch On<\/span><\/h2>\n

Because the definition of an Internet meme is so broad, anything that spreads quickly and widely online may fall into this category. The first Internet memes were arguably the text-based ones that are frequently used in chat, such as :-), :-P, :-0, lol, brb and so on. These memes spread through repetition and imitation, just as certain jokes, phrases and song verses spread through print, radio and television prior to the Internet. <\/p>\n

Phrasal memes are still alive and well on the Internet. \u201cAll your base are belong to us<\/a>,\u201d \u201cLeroy Jenkins,\u201d and many more have exploded across the Internet – and even made the jump to mainstream media. <\/p>\n

Chuck Norris facts<\/a> are one of the more popular of the phrasal memes. It began in 2005 and peaked with the release of print books chronicling the actor\u2019s many (fictional) super-human abilities, including such gems as:<\/p>\n