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Public Service Announcement: All Your Memes Are Dead
Posted by Austin Hudson
on
3:12 PM
I want to talk to you for a second about your memes. You know what a meme is; even if you don't, you're probably familiar with countless memes you couldn't trace the origin of. A meme is like an inside joke for a group of friends, but in this case, that group of friends is the whole internet. You could probably see the problems inherent in this.
Don't get me wrong, some memes can be funny when properly executed. Some have even ingrained themselves into the cultural psyche in a real, long-term way. But there are a couple which have become so obnoxious, so overplayed, that they're not even funny anymore.
See, a good meme has some element of creativity. One of the longest going memes, 'Yo dawg I heard', has an element of surprise, where you can vary the direction the joke goes. Sure, it's getting tired, but occasionally you can be surprised. Not with these guys. They're tired, they're repetitive, and they're not even interesting or funny. Not even chuckle-worthy. I know I risk a veritable Streisand effect here, but we're doing it anyway. The following two memes, which I have seen on internet sites as recently as today, are dead:
Words cannot nearly express how played out the concept of 'fail' is. Originally applied to humorous images and videos on the internet, 'Fail' has now become an all-encompassing lazy comment designed to make you look oh so witty. Let's look at some examples.
When stating the obvious just won't do, throw a fail on the end. There's absolutely nothing creative about it, and it's past the point of played out. It's the equivalent of watching somebody fall down, and then pointing and shouting 'THAT MAN FELL DOWN!'
You're that guy. Guy that explains the joke. Don't be that guy, nobody likes that guy.
Oh, this meme is awful too. In the annals of uncreative trolls, this is easily the most uncreative troll imaginable.
The basic premise is this. You identify what something is, and then you throw an 'is', and you repeat the first word. This can apply to any situation! But you sound so much like a goon, it's not even funny. I know there are some places on the internet where that's a virtue, but really, it's just the most uncreative and unfunny way to say something possible. Remember the days of clever insults? Let's go back to those. Banal observations or so last year.
Trust me, five years from now, these memes will seem awkward. What's that? Don't believe me?
How painful was that? Do you remember when 'Leeroy Jenkins' was a funny thing to say? Yeah, I do too. Now imagine somebody said it seriously today. They'd look like a total idiot, would they not? 'Leeroy Jenkins' was funny, but it was an awful meme. It wasn't really funny then, and it's horribly unfunny now.
Please, for the love of all things holy. Come up with something original. Troll with some flavor. But quit using these two old standards.
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Don't get me wrong, some memes can be funny when properly executed. Some have even ingrained themselves into the cultural psyche in a real, long-term way. But there are a couple which have become so obnoxious, so overplayed, that they're not even funny anymore.
See, a good meme has some element of creativity. One of the longest going memes, 'Yo dawg I heard', has an element of surprise, where you can vary the direction the joke goes. Sure, it's getting tired, but occasionally you can be surprised. Not with these guys. They're tired, they're repetitive, and they're not even interesting or funny. Not even chuckle-worthy. I know I risk a veritable Streisand effect here, but we're doing it anyway. The following two memes, which I have seen on internet sites as recently as today, are dead:
DEAD MEME #1: 'FAIL'
Words cannot nearly express how played out the concept of 'fail' is. Originally applied to humorous images and videos on the internet, 'Fail' has now become an all-encompassing lazy comment designed to make you look oh so witty. Let's look at some examples.
"That magazine article you wrote? Literary fail."
"You dropped your sandwick? OMG EPIC SANDWICH FAIL."
When stating the obvious just won't do, throw a fail on the end. There's absolutely nothing creative about it, and it's past the point of played out. It's the equivalent of watching somebody fall down, and then pointing and shouting 'THAT MAN FELL DOWN!'
You're that guy. Guy that explains the joke. Don't be that guy, nobody likes that guy.
DEAD MEME #2: '_____ _____ is _____'
Oh, this meme is awful too. In the annals of uncreative trolls, this is easily the most uncreative troll imaginable.
"Fat cat is fat."
"Gay kid is gay!"
The basic premise is this. You identify what something is, and then you throw an 'is', and you repeat the first word. This can apply to any situation! But you sound so much like a goon, it's not even funny. I know there are some places on the internet where that's a virtue, but really, it's just the most uncreative and unfunny way to say something possible. Remember the days of clever insults? Let's go back to those. Banal observations or so last year.
Trust me, five years from now, these memes will seem awkward. What's that? Don't believe me?
"LEEEEEEROY JENKINS!"
How painful was that? Do you remember when 'Leeroy Jenkins' was a funny thing to say? Yeah, I do too. Now imagine somebody said it seriously today. They'd look like a total idiot, would they not? 'Leeroy Jenkins' was funny, but it was an awful meme. It wasn't really funny then, and it's horribly unfunny now.
Please, for the love of all things holy. Come up with something original. Troll with some flavor. But quit using these two old standards.
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