Noooo, Put Me Back!

About

Noooo, Put Me Back refers to a series of image macro memes based on an image of The Matrix character Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) waking up from the Matrix in a tank and entering reality. In memes, the image is typically captioned with demands to be plugged back into the Matrix, as one has achieved a certain goal or was on the verge of achieving it and prefers to stay.

Origin

In the 1999 film The Matrix, protagonist Neo escapes the Matrix and wakes in reality inside a pod, emerging from a viscous liquid and disconnecting many tubes and cords that connect his body to the system. A promotional image based on the scene shows Neo raising his hands and gasping for air as he breaks from the liquid (shown below).

On March 22nd, 2021, the Instagram^[1] meme page on_a_downward_spiral posted an ironic meme based on the image captioned, "Noooo, put me back, I was a niche internet micro celebrity." Despite the meme appearing recaptioned, this is likely an imitation and therefore the original meme within the format. The post has since been removed from Instagram.

Spread

The earliest memes based on the format followed in 2021. For example, on April 3rd, 2021, the Facebook^[2] page Wedge Antilles posted a meme that garnered over 680 reactions and 30 shares in three years (shown below, left).

In late September 2021, the Instagram^[3] meme page trashcanpaul posted a Forklift Certified meme (shown below, right), and a September 28th iFunny^[4] repost of the meme garnered over 14,900 smiles in three years (shown below, right).

The format saw continued use across Facebook, Instagram and X / Twitter in 2022 and 2023. For example, on November 4th, 2022, X^[5] user @twicrates posted a meme that garnered over 570 reposts and 5,400 likes in one year (shown below, left). On January 12th, 2023, the Facebook^[6] page Dank Daoist Memes posted a philosophy meme that garnered over 470 reactions and 320 shares in one year (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Template

Search Interest

External References