Forums / Discussion / Meme Research

Something just struck me. A meme is any instance of internet phenomena. Thus, anything that is popularized almost entirely by/on the internet is therefor a meme. Does this mean that popular webshows/comics are memes? By definition, it would seem that they are, but I want a second opinion.

My main query is about XKCD. The comic is insanely popular and has been the source of a few memes. I think this might qualify XKCD as a meme in and of itself. But, again, I'm looking for your opinions.

Things like that could be memes (Homestar Runner has been verified as a meme I believe, for instance) but aren't necessarily. xkcd might deserve to be some sort of parent article, though, since as you said, it has created a number of phenomena that are memetic, such as Roller Coaster Chess and Wetriffs.com (which is too minor of a meme for its own entry here).

I think what makes xkcd not a meme is that while it has popularity, it hasn't spread and created derivatives. A site like Homestar Runner has a lot of fan art and parodies, while the popularity of xkcd is mainly people going to xkcd.com and reading the comic.

you could say Webcomics are memes. XKCD, not a meme as it is, but it may have spread the idea of Webcomics on the Internet. you have my go to go ahead and research =)

I don't think one of the criteria for meme-hood is derivatives. Sure, it helps for confirmation and notoriety, but I don't think it actually makes it memetic. By definition, all something should need to be a meme is spread, and XKCD definitely has spread. People repost his comics all over the place, and has created several memes, as we've said. Doesn't this make it an example of internet phenomenon?

Actually, spread AND derivitaves are required fields for internet memes. Reposting the comic around is just spreading it. It still needs to grow and mutate. Lack thereof makes it merely inernet phenomenon, and THAT is different that a meme all in itself.

Are you sure? I just did a quick look-around on the web and came up with this:

"The term Internet meme (pronounced /ˈmiːm/, rhyming with "cream"[1]) is used to describe a concept that spreads swiftly via the Internet."

I know Wikipedia is an awful source, but the web definition is much the same:

"The term Internet meme is a phrase used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads quickly from person to person via the Internet, much like an esoteric inside joke…."

Anyway, I'd really like to do an article for XKCD. That's the main point, here.

That would be a good PARENT entry, as it has spawned many memes itself, but it itself is not a meme. Keep that in mind.

First of, this thread belongs in Meme Research.

Secondly, I had considered making an xkcd article too some time ago. I felt that it would have been a good parent entry for any memes originating from the comic but not as an article about a meme by itself.

You see, there is certainly no definite and final description as to what makes something an internet meme. The term is very loose and viral material such as the xkcd comics can be as much of a meme as classics like Pedobear and Rickrolling. For this reason, our site had to draw the line at a certain point and one of the things beyond this metaphorical line would be webcomics as they can be interpreted as just another form of public media (they're basically just comics posted on the internet). This also applies to other similar forms of media (i.e. fan fictions) which also needs no documentation on this site. So sorry, but xkcd cannot stand on its own as a meme article.

Though, going back to my point of it being a possible parent article, the only reason I haven't made one is because as of now, and as was the case those many months ago, we have only two documented and confirmed memes originating from xkcd, those being Roller Coaster Chess and [citation needed] (though originally a part of Wikipedia's fact-checking policy, an xkcd comic started the trend of using the phrase elsewhere). I just don't feel that there are enough sub-memes yet to allow xkcd its own parent article.

So yeah, now that I've made my point about that, I'll move this thread now.

Basically…

>When it is popular, it is "viral."
>When it has derivatives, reuses and recreations, it is a "meme."

Therefore…

>xkcd would be "viral." It's popular.
>Roller Coaster Chess would be a "meme." It's popular and has been recreated and parodied many times.

xkcd is quite awesome, though.

I suppose I'm just going to have to base anything off of what the site defines as being a meme, and not what the internet defines it as. I'm not sure which one I think should be right, but I really, truly think that XKCD deserves an article, regardless of how few memes it has created.

KYM does seem to have a slightly more specific definition of what constitutes a "meme" than most other sites. Regardless, xkcd probably could use an entry; it simply may be debatable among the community what sort of entry it out to be.

…I was going to leave it at that, but I can't seem to contain myself when it comes to philosophizing. The thing of it is, KYM has perhaps an over-specific definition of what a meme is, but such a definition is necessary. In the more general sense of what constitutes a "meme", you'd end up with an entry for virtually everything. That's because really a "meme" is any unit of information that can be passed from one person to another. In that more broad definition, all of these abysmal entries that keep being put into the database by n00bs and trolls are actually "memes", they're just failed memes.

The reason KYM is looking for derivatives is that it is a sign that a meme has taken on a life of its own. That's why Milhouse is not a meme, but "Milhouse is not a meme" is a meme. That's a funny example that a lot of people like to trot out, but in an odd way, it's like a template of the nature of memes: Kanye West, no matter how popular he may be, is not a meme, but "Kanye interrupts" is, because it's an exploitable concept. Spider-man is not a meme, but "How do I shot web?" is. That's not to say that individual people can't be memes (e.g. Bill Cosby or Epic Beard Man) but there needs to be something that makes a concept more than just "popular".

So, to put it simply, if I were to try to make an XKCD article and call it a parent article, would you guys deadpool it?

No, we would embrace it if you made it in the style of a parent entry. Check out some parent entries like "Team Fortress 2", "Twitter", and "Exploitables". Get a feel for that and make the entry. Then we'll see…

Right-o

The thing you should probably understand is that KYM has a SUPER-DUPER SPECIFIC definition of a meme. Some people don't like that we do that. Quite honestly, it's partly because of our difference between viral videos and memes, but also to prevent having too many articles about things that aren't really memes. Since your account is a year old, you might have already read this, but you might want to read the FAQs. They explain a lot.