Memes and Real World Experiences

When it comes to memes, the topics they can be about are limited “only by the number of things there are in the world for us to discuss”. The experiences we have in the real world affect the content of the memes that we create, sometimes more literally than others. It's hard to predict what will become a meme, sometimes memes could be created because of a real life event that occured, and other times they could be created simply because of the inspiration of a funny picture.

## Memes Stemming from Real World Events

Ideas for memes can be born through real world events, especially events that have stirred emotions in people. The 2012 Presidential election between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama turned out to be an event that inspired more than one meme. One of the memes that the event inspired came in the form of an image macro involving the Sesame Street character Big Bird. During one of the debates between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, Mitt Romney said one of the ways he would reduce the deficit was to cut government funding to the television station PBS. This could potentially mean the cancellation of the beloved show Sesame Street, which meant no more Big Bird.

   This comment stirred emotions in many people. Sesame Street had been on the air since 1969  and was a happy memory in many people's childhoods, so they took to the internet to create content that let their opinions be recognized. Since many people had a reaction to the story, the meme was able to gain popularity because it connected with a wide audience. Because of participatory media, a simple statement regarding Big Bird that might have otherwise slipped under the radar gained major media attention, sparking more than just memes to be created. The public used memes to make their opinions on what mattered to them heard, which in turn caused the official campaigns to pay attention to it as well, and even participate in the discussion.  The Big Bird meme wasn't the only one created during the 2012 Presidential election, Romney's "Binders Full of Women" and Obamas' "You Didn't Build That" statements created enough of a conversation in the online community that they were turned into memes as well.

## Memes and Feelings

Another instance where the real world greatly shapes the content of memes is through Rage Comics. These memes use “Rage Faces”, drawings or pictures of different emotions, mixed with stories to create social commentary in the form of a comic strip. Much of the inspiration when writing these comics comes from things that have happened in the creators lives, following the common themes of fail, win, or WTF. The stories being told usually have something to do with the social aspects of life, commenting on the social successes and failures we've all experienced. The comic usually ends with a rage face, an emotional punchline.

When creating this social commentary, the idea of social insiders and outsiders are reinforced. When the protagonist of the comic “failed”, they were an outsider, and when they “won” and were an insider. Even though Rage Comics revolve around unique stories of social situations told by the creators, there are still strict guidelines that have to be followed to be considered a “Rage Comic” by the community. The creator has to understand the underlying language and conventions used in these comics, especially when it’s appropriate to use which rage faces. Also, if the comic becomes too long or too personal to the creator, it becomes much less be relatable and intrest is lost a lot easier. Because they are intended for a community of more than a few people, it needs to be relatable or else people won’t want to spread it.

## Memes and Real People

Even though some memes are pictures of animals, it’s important to remember that some of the memes are real people who, in many cases, didn’t choose to become the face of a meme.
One the earliest example of a meme stemming from an unexpected piece of content is the *Little Fatty* meme. The *Little Fatty* meme came from a private photograph of a boy named Qian Zhijun from Shanghai that was uploaded by one of his teachers in 2002. Soon, people were photoshopping his face onto different pictures and he not only gained fame in China, but worldwide. Understandably, he was not happy about being called “little fatty” at first, but then decided to use his fame for good and became a spokesperson for the awareness of Chinese obesity.

Another example of a meme stemming from the image of a real person is the *Overly Attached Girlfriend* meme. It was started because of a YouTube video created by Laina Morris, which was a parody of Justin Bieber’s song “Girlfriend” where she changed the lyrics to make them sound clingy and overly-obsessive. After the video received more than a million views, people turned screenshots of her face into an image macro meme with phrases that a stereotypical overly obsessed girlfriend might say. Laina has also used her internet fame for good, creating videos to raise money for charities.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Borzsei, Linda K. “Makes a Meme Instead: A Concise History of Internet Memes”. New Media Studies Magazine. Utrecht University. 2013. Web. 1 July 2015.
2. ↑ "Sesame Street". IMDB. n.d. Web. 6 July 2015.
3. ↑ Graeff, Erhardt. “Binders full of Election Memes: Participatory Culture Invades to 2012 U.S. Election” *Civic Media Project*. The MIT Press. n.d. Web. 30 June 2015.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Milner, Ryan M. The World Made Meme: Discourse and Identity in Participatory Media. Diss. University of Kansas, 2012. KU ScholarWorks. Web. 30 June 2015.
5. ↑ “Little Fatty”. Know Your Meme. Cheezburger. Web. 3 July 2015.
6. ↑ “Overly Attached Gorlfriend”. Know Your Meme. Cheezburger. Web. 3 July 2015.