An internet meme is a unit of culture, often an image, short video, phrase or format, that spreads quickly between people online and is copied, edited and reinterpreted along the way. The word comes from biologist Richard Dawkins, who coined "meme" in 1976 for ideas that replicate through culture.
Why it matters
Memes are a shared language of social media. They carry jokes, opinions and news, and brands and campaigners try to use them for reach. They also raise practical issues: many popular memes reuse copyrighted images, they can spread misinformation in a friendly format, and a meme that was harmless one month can pick up a different meaning the next.
Example
A photo template with a caption area at the top and bottom gets reused thousands of times with different text. The picture stays the same, while the joke changes for each community that adopts it. That reuse of a fixed format with swapped content is typical meme behavior.
Common mistakes
- Assuming "everyone shares it" means it is free to use commercially. Copyright and image rights still apply.
- Using a meme in marketing after its meaning has shifted, which can look out of touch or offensive.
- Believing a meme is automatically true because many people repeat it.
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यह पेज सामान्य जानकारी है, जिसे हमारी संपादकीय टीम ने लिखा है और दस्तावेज़ीकरण बदलने पर अपडेट किया जाता है। सर्वर और प्रदाता अलग-अलग होते हैं, इसलिए बदलाव पहले सुरक्षित तरीके से जाँचें। देखें: संपादकीय नीति और अस्वीकरण.