Forums / Discussion / Meme Research

I've been through a lot of different memes of all different types and something I never really understood was what really went into creating one or making it last? Like is it all accident or do people sit down and think these out? Gimme your thoughts.

Legit memes are most likely to be spontaneous, IMO. I'd imagine that most of the ones in which people sat and thought it out would be the dreaded forced memes.

Memes are all about popular opinion. Memes generally are:

Popular.
Have derivatives.

While there are other details, these are the basic rule of thumbs.

Most memes are accidental, while some are thought out, or forced. Many forced memes do not make the cut, but some are liked and become popular.

see thread: https://knowyourmeme.com/forums/1-general/topics/33-what-criteria-should-be-considered-when-submitting-a-meme-entry

i think a meme is a form of communication where an idea that is humorous but inane is repeated and understood through various creative and personal adaptations.

There's going to be a Beginner's Guide sometime soon.
We're not beginners, but it will help somewhat.