The Evolution of Memes
This post is from the ArmaniTalks Newsletter
Memes are pieces of information that are meant to entertain, inform, make us question our thinking etc.
Before, memes used to be like glorified fart jokes.
I recall memes were first becoming a thing around 2009.
One of the first guys to get the brunt of memes was this gentleman named Luke Walton.
Luke Walton played for the Los Angeles Lakers.
He was an overall okay role player.
However, there was one year when he got injured and had to sit on the bench.
That one year turned into 2.
Soon, rather than playing, he was in his suit, sitting on the bench.
Other fans noticed how he would sit on the bench more than play in games!
That’s when the “Luke Walton Benchwarmer” memes were born.
The memes were brutal.
They pretty much boiled Luke’s entire career down to a scrub.
These memes eventually got around to his personal life.
His wife saw them, his kids saw them, his legendary day, Bill Walton, saw them…
And Luke saw them.
The memes hurt his confidence.
He was never the same player after that.
It was clear that he lost a pep in his step.
That was a glimpse into how memes worked.
They were mainly used to make fun of others.
Even though memes are still used to poke fun at others, they have evolved into information powerhouses.
There are memes on business, investing, relationships, funny cultural moments etc.
Tagging people in memes is a fantastic way to build rapport with them.
Also, memes are going from pictures to clips.
A lot of the things that I’m tagged in nowadays are Gifs or video snippets of YouTube videos.
I see memes evolving more in the future.
Where they used to mainly be used to make fun of others…
Nowadays, memes are capable of building a mind-heart connection.
There is information in them to make us think and feel.
When content can make someone think and feel, that’s when it becomes potent, and it spreads fast.
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