Ahhh, memes. Those funny images that go viral on social media. Would you be surprised to learn that the concept of a meme predates the Internet? It’s true. So then, just what is a meme?

The word “meme,” according to Dictionary.com, was coined in 1976 by the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins to describe the cultural transmission of ideas. The latest definition is as follows:

1. an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, especially imitation.

• a humorous image, video, piece of text, etc., that is copied (often with slight variations) and spread rapidly by internet users.

You could argue that memes are actually a concept far older than the word itself. Case in point: folklore. The main purpose of folklore is to share ideas across generational and social boundaries, very much like memes, and that activity can be documented as far back as 6,000 years ago. WAY older than the Internet!

The First Modern-Day Meme

Enter the first modern Internet meme:  Baby Cha-Cha-Cha! 

Now whether it’s actually the first is open to debate, but the Dancing Baby is most commonly known to be the first viral video on the Internet. Since memes are an expression of culture, exactly what you might think of as a meme will vary as culture evolves. Baby Cha-Cha-Cha is a great example. In its day, it was absolutely a meme, a resounding new idea that spread everywhere and expressed the crazy design possibilities of the Internet. Today? Eh. Where are the catchy words to go along with it? The phrase that will make it the perfect amount of snark?

Memes, Copyright, and NFTs

If you create a meme, and it goes viral, you become rich, right? Nope. You probably won’t get bragging rights either since people will have no idea where the meme came from once it spreads fast enough through the interwebs. 

Memes generally fall under the heading of “fair use” when it comes to things like copyright protection. Public Knowledge has a great article that describes the whys and wherefores of that, but at the end of the day, creative expression that takes an image and turns it into something new (new meaning, new interpretation, new insight) will almost always fall under fair use.

This is a good moment to point out how owning a meme and NFTs can overlap: 

Artists create things, but once their thing is sold (and sometimes even before that), they lose all control over that asset. If the asset is resold, the original artist usually doesn’t see any commission. An NFT can serve as a receipt that makes sure that every future transaction gives the artist some additional compensation for their creation. This is a potential game-changer for artists, but it’s not perfect. (Learn more about NFTs in this post.)

Artists (and let’s assume that people who create memes count as artists) have already started exploring selling their memes as NFTs. The idea of owning the original digital file of a meme is compelling to some. One of the challenges here, though, is that owning the original digital file does not necessarily give you copyright ownership of it, and it doesn’t mean you own any of the copies. The idea of NFTs as a way to give artists more control over their work has merit, but the idea hasn’t quite worked the bugs out. 

Memes and…Identity Theft?

And what about memes and identity theft? As cute as they are to see in your media stream, those little image files can contain malware—code that can help a hacker compromise your computer or mobile device. They can also encourage you to respond with personal information. How many times have you seen a meme like “Porn star name generator!” with a list of crazy names next to various dates? It is hilarious and absurd. It is also data harvesting with an eye toward identity theft.

Some memes build on a picture of a person who will forever be associated with that one image. Decades later, when a potential hiring manager does a search on their name, it’s still that one image that somehow defines them for the rest of their lives. The image of Disaster Girl is a perfect example of that. Zoë Roth was a child when that photo was taken over twenty years ago, and yet, that’s her legacy as far as the Internet is concerned. 

So, Why Should You Care?

Memes aren’t going to go away, nor should they! They are hilarious and they express information in ways words can’t. They’re fun to see, fun to use in presentations, and fun to have as shorthand to express agreement, disgust, sarcasm, and support; they are just that powerful a form of expression.

But this wouldn’t be the Identity Flash Mob blog if we didn’t have a few suggestions for you to keep yourself safe online, even where memes are concerned.

• If someone sends you a file that you don’t expect, don’t open it. If it’s someone you know, ask them to send you the link where they got it, or at least where they created it (if they’re the originator).
• If you are posting photos of yourself online, either lock down the permissions as to who can see them or accept that someone might pick up that image and run with it in ways you never imagined. 
• If you are posting photos of your children online, really, really lock down those permissions. Please. Your child will thank you when they’re older. If you can’t resist sharing the cute, listen to or read the transcript of this excellent Vox podcast.

With that, it’s time to go see what new creative memes have been created. Catch you on the flip side! 

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash