Go ahead and downvote me for what I'm about to say, but I want to bring this up because it could lead to that Internet renaissance I've theorized about.
To start, we must examine the current state of memes as is: Most memes originate from social media sites like Twitter and Reddit, for better or for worse. I'd argue the nature and format of social media is what leads to these memes dying out so fast. Most Twitter or Reddit memes rely on captions, image labeling, or the infamous "Thing I Don't Like" genre. So, what made memes "back in the day" great and last longer?
From my perspective, a major factor is that social media simply wasn't as prominent. Memes like Over 9000 or the Battletoads Pre-order originated from sites like YouTube and 4Chan. If a meme originates from Twitter, chances are, 8/10 times, it's gonna die out quickly because it is limited by the context of social media. To put it bluntly, social media has made the Internet lazy.
There's also the aspect of remix culture. This is something I have not seen receive enough credit these past couple years, especially since these are the type of memes that require the most effort, and in turn, end up lasting far longer and eventually become ingrained into Internet culture.
Two of my favorite memes of last year are the Mio Honda Fried Chicken video and Americian Dad Speedruns. What made these memes stick out is that greatly differentiated from the norm at that time.
Mio Honda originated from iFunny of all places, and somehow grew without ever touching Twitter or Reddit. (Even if the original video came from Twitter). It was a video featuring a catchy J-pop song (Geddan or Fukkiretta, anyone?), and it somehow disgusted iFunny. That in of itself can lead to major LULs. It didn't last long enough for it to get Geddan-style remixes like I had hoped, but it was still a step in the right direction.
And then there's American Dad Speedruns. Somehow, in a post-Social Media world, this meme beat the odds and brought remix culture back into the mainstream. What makes it even more appalling is that it originated from YouTube. With all the controversy and strife surrounding the current YT algorithm, you'd think it would be nigh impossible for small video remixes like this to flourish on YT, and yet, here we are. Some American Dad speedrun videos have reached the hundreds-of-thousands in terms of views. It bears repeating, but that's huge!
Now we arrive to 2020, and there are two memes I want to highlight in particular.
First up, there's A Man Has Fallen Into a River in Lego City. I know, this meme came from Twitter, but it has also managed to find a place on YouTube as well. The mere fact that this isn't another exploitable webcomic or bland Twitter meme should be taken note of. Especially since copypastas have been a major cornerstone of meme culture.
Second, there's the Obama YTPMVs. I was Shocked to have found this had blown up as much as it did. Just the American Dad Speedruns, small YTPMVs based off a ERBOH video have been popping up on YouTube, with no signs of stopping. If you were to check the video gallery on the meme's page, it nears 100. When was the last time a meme has ever reached that capacity?
Based on what I've discussed, I honestly believe meme culture can see a major upturn throughout the year, and we would have another Internet renaissance on our hands, just we did in 2016. To make matters even more appauling, I have not seen the Obama YTPMVs trend on the site despite the sheer quantity of them. You'd think people would be all over this stuff.
If this was a waste of your time, I apologize. If you think I'm onto something, discuss.