Meme Page Admins

About

Meme Page Admins refers to jokes made online about the people who run meme pages, primarily those on Instagram and Facebook. They center on the cliché of being a meme page admin or dating one, typically made with ironic intent. Image macros related to the stereotype appeared as early as 2016 on both platforms, spreading over the following years.

Origin

The first meme to reference meme page admins was posted in June 2016 by a now-deleted Facebook page. However, it can still be accessed, along with the original link, on the website loveforquotes.^[1] The meme (shown below) used a condom template, arguing that meme page admins have an average penis size of 7.1 inches.

Spread

The aforementioned condom meme was posted to Instagram^[2] on July 18th, 2016, where it received 211 likes over the course of five years. A year later, on June 7th, 2017, Instagram^[3] page heckoffsupreme posted a meme that earned roughly 1,000 likes over four years (shown below, left). Two months later, on August 7th, an Indian Instagram^[4] page called capdt posted a meme that referenced meme page admins, earning roughly 1,400 likes in four years (shown below, right).

The concept of meme page admins circulated heavily in Indian meme circles more so than in English-speaking ones early on. For instance, on July 24th, 2018, Indian Instagram^[5] page unprofessional_trollers posted a meme that received roughly 17,200 likes over the course of four years (shown below).

It wasn't until 2020 that meme page admin references became predominant in English-speaking circles. The one shown below, however, was created by Instagram^[6] page venti.memes in early 2018, serving as a good example of a "meme page admin" meme that received viral attention before 2020.

From 2020 onward, meme page admin references became increasingly abundant online. For instance, on December 31st, 2019, Instagram^[7] page themeless_memes posted a meme using wojaks, earning 129 likes over three years (shown below, left). Instagram^[8] page botoxqueen1968 reposted a now-deleted tweet on November 5th, 2020, gaining roughly 2,700 likes over the course of two years (shown below, right).

In 2021, meme page admin memes were even more prevalent on Instagram and Twitter. A prominent snowclone developed in 2021 that loosely followed the phrasal template, "When the meme page admin X their followers suffer." An example of this (shown below) was posted by the Instagram^[9] account botoxqueen1968 on June 21st, 2021. The post received roughly 4,600 likes over the course of five months.

Related Memes

Niche Internet Micro-Celebrity

Niche Internet Micro-Celebrity is a slang catchphrase describing a social media user with a relatively small following, typically up to tens of thousands of followers, synonymous to micro-influencer. Starting in 2021, the phrase gained popularity in ironic memes in which being a niche internet micro-celebrity is celebrated as a personal success and a desirable occupation contributing to one's attractiveness. The meme built off of pre-existing stereotypes and clichés surrounding meme page admins.

The first meme page admin to reference themself as a niche internet micro-celebrity was Instagram^[10] page on_a_downward_spiral. On March 22nd, 2021, they posted an ironic Noooo Put Me Back meme recaptioned "Noooo, put me back, I was a niche internet micro celebrity." The post received over 26,900 likes in four months (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References