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Koko Ricky

Why does repeating memes outside of the Internet evoke agitation?

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I suspect it's because, although memes predate the Internet, their online manifestation is something that is idiosyncratic to the Internet. Not only that, but its experience is usually personal, or it may involve your friends if you're crowded around a desktop computer. In either case, memes appearing on a TV commercial, in a movie, even on t-shirts, often feels ... awkward. And I think a lot of millenials and Gen-Xers would more or less agree.

The unique experience of viewing a meme carries with it specific contexts. There is the emotional context (usually humorous or informative), the environmental context (a smartphone or other computer) and the cultural context (ranging from mainstream to obscure). The appearance of memes outside of the Internet seems to suggest that the parties responsible had little awareness of these contexts, and are just piggybacking.

Indeed, the media outlets that have only been partially consumed by the Internet--Hollywood, radio, TV, magazines--try to keep up with the Internet, even though they're being absorbed by it. They reference memes to maintain relevance, but the very act of doing so outside of cyberspace is essentially a naive act of self-parody.

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shaddup and take my money!

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The appearance of memes outside of the Internet seems to suggest that the parties responsible had little awareness of these contexts, and are just piggybacking.


In all honesty, this is a perfect explanation as to why we hate seeing them outside the internet. Hell, a lot of us hate seeing them ON the internet. 9 times outta 10 they're completely retarded and unfunny.

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That's true. It's a dumb trend. But the dismissal of seeing it outside the Internet is interesting. It's as though it doesn't work outside of the original context, whereas books and movies can be quoted in an appropriate manner.

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I have a hunch that half of the hostility comes from the e-kiddies who love memes and are sorta precious about them, like "this is our fun, you can't ruin it with your mainstream bullshit" and the other half stems from those of us who already find them quite stupid. That's my guess!

Things like books, movies, TV etc. have far more depth (generally speaking) and I think that plays a part of why they're "allowed" to be mentioned out of context. They're endearing, unlike memes.

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What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I’ll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I’ve been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I’m the top sniper in the entire US armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you the fuck out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my fucking words. You think you can get away with saying that shit to me over the Internet? Think again, fucker. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of spies across the USA and your IP is being traced right now so you better prepare for the storm, maggot. The storm that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your life. You’re fucking dead, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can kill you in over seven hundred ways, and that’s just with my bare hands. Not only am I extensively trained in unarmed combat, but I have access to the entire arsenal of the United States Marine Corps and I will use it to its full extent to wipe your miserable ass off the face of the continent, you little shit. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little “clever” comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your fucking tongue. But you couldn’t, you didn’t, and now you’re paying the price, you goddamn idiot. I will shit fury all over you and you will drown in it. You’re fucking dead, kiddo.

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For me the out-of-context situations evoke embarrassment, like, "Why did you think that was a good idea?" I think memes will probably transform into something more sophisticated. At the moment they're an interesting way of conveying information.

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The current meme is to shitpost whenever Goatlord says anything.

Be thankful he bothered to share what he saw at Quakecon with us, ya lil' shits.

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Hey, when Goat's an asset, he's an asset. It's just fun to band wagon and shit post, at least this time, as it harkens back to the OP. Frankly, I've gotten used to Meme t-shirts and the like, but seeing certain memes on TV do seem... Odd. Thing is, I really can't pin-point why it feels odd.

Best example I can remember is the Futurama ads using the "Your X is bad and you should feel bad" meme. It felt off, like, it shouldn't leave the net, or something. Maybe I'm a melodramatic fool. Neurotic to the core, no doubt about it. Sometimes I give myself the creeps. Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me. It all keeps adding up, I think I'm cracking up... Am I just paranoid? Or am I just stoned?

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Clonehunter said:

Is mayonnaise a meme?

No Clonehunter, mayonnaise isn't a meme.

Horseradish isn't a meme either.

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This thread is actually kinda decent but I doubt I should bother participating in it considering all the bullshit it just attracted. You guys are so funny. 9_9

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Not sure if this is related to the thread. But what is the attraction to posting words in the form of images? If you take a minute to browse imgur.com, you'll notice, excluding animated gifs, just about every image is either the large white text on top, funny white text on the bottom images, a snip of a funny/interesting quote from a book, a snip of a ridiculous argument on tumblr, a snip of a weird amazon review, a snip of something that happened on facebook, a snip of something that happened on twitter, etc. Why even bother with images if you're going to spend the majority of the time reading?

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40oz said:

Why even bother with images if you're going to spend the majority of the time reading?


It's a bit far out... but I hope you still get where I'm coming from.....

Why even bother watching a movie? Just read the book.
Why even bother playing a game? Just read the story.
The list goes on....

.... I guess in most cases the Images just add to the "experience".
At least that's the intention... doesn't always work out perfectly though ; )

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^ I see it as a social thing, the interlocutors being more important than the content. The words become a way to prove you're part of a group. Whether you support or reject what is said, either way a line is drawn. "I believe this, and look, here's this other person who thinks the same way, it's great to be amongst like-minded people, we rock" / "I don't believe this, look at those terrible people who do, good thing *we* are not *them*"

There's a safety net aspect to it as well. By quoting someone you inherently give the illusion what he's saying is relevant and important, because why else would you go through the effort of quoting him? And that's one layer of separation between any argument and the OP, naysayers are going to take it out on whoever is in the picture before the OP.

Definitely related imho, because memes are nothing more than references; laughing because I-know-that-thing, I-am-part-of-this-group. The exact same motives drive both behaviors.

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Inside jokes always lose their magic when introduced to outsiders or if they're said out of context. Go to some far-flung part of the internet which has nothing to do with Doom and computers and other nerdy interests, mention Impse or John being a zombie, and see how many people respond appropriately.

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Memes embody stupidity, mostly in an ironic sense. Seeing them outside their native environments is just depressing.

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Jaxxoon R said:

The current meme is to shitpost whenever Goatlord says anything.

Be thankful he bothered to share what he saw at Quakecon with us, ya lil' shits.


And don't worry, despite all of the harassment, I will gladly report back to everyone about this year's QuakeCon, continue to write tribute music for Doom, eventually release Doom maps and maybe even get around to some fanart. I understand that all of the "shitposting" is...well, I don't really understand it, but I'll turn the other cheek, because I know I should expect to have to do so by now.

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Technician said:

Memes embody stupidity, mostly in an ironic sense. Seeing them outside their native environments is just depressing.

Ha, the guy on the left still has the price tag on him.

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Wow those look like some cheap shirts. I don't even know what all 3 of those memes mean. The one on the far right I think means troll face or something. Maybe elephant man or a mutant Jay Leno?

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