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Memes: universal jokes spread via the internet. As you may have noticed, months ago, we started this year with a BANG in memes. If you don’t recall what they were, here is a refresher:
These memes, one after another, eventually died. Tide pods, ‘somebody toucha my spaghet!’, and (of course) Logan Paul, were the highlight of the first two weeks. These memes spread like wildfire, and lived for quite a long time. ‘Do you know deh weh’ died in one week. One trend I have noticed recently, is memes dying just as soon as they are created. For example, the current meme (October 11, 2018) is the ‘moth meme’:
This meme, currently, is dying. I give it… 2 weeks until it officially dies. But, what point I want to get across is “why do memes die quicker than back in the ‘normie’ meme days?” Back in the normie meme days, when memes lasted the longest. (Here is a picture of a normie meme for reference):
We are in a generation where people overexpose memes. Once that is done, it is a matter of weeks before the meme dies. We are in a day, and age, where social media is BOOMING, and things are seen much quicker than in the ‘normie’ meme days (mid 2000s).
I think the reason ‘normie’ memes last longer is because you can keep format, edit the text, and there you go! A brand new meme, with the same format. Simple, yet something you want to show your friends at lunch.
Another reason ‘normie’ memes last as long is because of familiarity. Everyone is knowledgeable of what a ‘normie’ meme is, because most people my age (16) grew up with them. Therefore, my generation is accustomed to them.
Anything above a ‘normie’ meme has an incredibly limited lifespan. A current example being the moth meme. Political memes and Spongebob memes are an exception; they last just as long as a ‘normie’ meme.
There is a broad spectrum of memes. Trust me, broad is a light term. There is a meme for EVERY occasion and feeling. Memes have weaved their way into our everyday life:Ifunny, Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit are the main go-to’s. If you go onto these websites, and search ‘memes’, you will find a treasure chest filled with thousands of memes (good ones… and not so good ones). A majority of the good ones begin to trend, and once they are trending… overexposure! Overexposure eats at the humor of the meme, and then it’s murdered. Who’s the culprit? Everyone in this room.
To answer the essential question:”What is the lifespan of a meme?”
After doing extensive research, I have come to the conclusion that memes, as of 2018, on average last for approximately 6 weeks. Back in the ‘normie’ meme days, on average they lasted up to 16 weeks.
How can we prevent shortening the lifespan of memes? You can’t. Simple answer. It is impossible. Social media will always be flooded with these internet sensations (memes). One by one, each meme will die, and maybe even resurface when it becomes relevant, or people will use the format to create an entirely new meme.
As any YouTube meme would say, in half English, half gibberish, “Please subscribe, give the video a thumbs up, and check the link, in my bio, to my merch store. Use code ‘memes’ for 10% off”.
*please visit the websites mentioned in this article, they are beautiful places to search for memes*
