The Iceberg Meme History Explained

Cybermare demands Manon to do an iceberg video for views but Manon finds a compromise

### Watch

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### Writer

Shadok
Kankitty

### Director

Shadok

**The Iceberg Meme History Explained** is the fourth episode for *LOVEWEB*.

## Plot

Cybermare asks Manon to do a video of something popular since *LOVEWEB* isn't getting enough views and Manon finds a compromise instead.

### ARG

At the end of the episode, a Pastebin link is seen flashing, containing the text "Xndr7im.jpg". Putting them in an Imgur link reveals an image, which spells out the website Bandcamp in binary code represented by horseshoes for number zero and unicorn horns for number one. Put "cybermare.bandcamp.com" (which is a hint on how she runs the ARGs), reveals that she has recently released her album *ｖａｐｏｒｍａｒｅ*. To solve this, take a letter from each of the songs sampled in each number named track from the *ｖａｐｏｒｍａｒｅ* album which tells which letter to take from the sampled songs ("I**t**'s Your Move" by Diana Ross in the first track, "I Fuc**k** Everything Up" by Mom in the second track, "Ra**i**nbow" by Sia in the third track, "Blo**o**deater" by Mom in the fourth track, "V**a**" by Ryan Roth in the fifth track, and "W**h**ite Waking" by Les Rallizes Dénudés in the sixth track, making out the letters "tkioah"), forming the letters "tkioah", and then put them in a Tinyurl link (hinted in Cybermare's Bandcamp banner) which is a Pastebin link that leads to a link of the Discord server, SOFTMARE\_0520.

## Characters

* Manon
* Cybermare

## Transcript

*(Intro plays as normal, with Manon surfing past future events of the current episode before landing in their room)*
*(Manon is seen drawing the Sburb loading screen on MS Paint)*
**Cybermare:** Hey. We need to talk. We need more views, *LOVEWEB* isn't working.
**Manon:** What? It's been going great so far!
**Cybermare:** No it hasn't, *LOVEWEB* really isn't going anywhere. We need a bigger audience.
**Manon:** Aww, but it's a warm and comfy little community so full of passion! That's all that matters right?
**Cybermare:** That's fine but we need more views. And *LOVEWEB* isn't getting any. How about we try something that already works like... hmm... These iceberg explained videos that get millions of views, we should totally do one.
**Manon:** What? That's a silly idea, Cybermare.
**Cybermare:** Come on. They're so easy and it'll be good for our growth. I can see you talk about a YouTube iceberg or website iceberg. We could even have the video cut in several parts.
**Manon:** Bwaaa! But I wanna do a *LOVEWEB*!
**Cybermare:** God, you're such a baby. We can't make *LOVEWEB*s like this forever. We gotta try this iceberg meme format.
**Manon:** Iceberg meme? Wait wait wait, I got a cool idea. *(Manon takes out two browser tabs containing* LOVEWEB *and "Iceberg" and decides what to do with them)* Iceberg... *LOVEWEB*... Iceberg... *LOVEWEB*...
**Cybermare:** Wait, don't tell me you're doing an iceberg on *LOVEWEB*...
**Manon:** No no no! I wanna do a *LOVEWEB* on the iceberg meme itself!
**Cybermare:** What? That's dumb. What would you even say about it, it's just a YouTube trend.
**Manon:** Ooo, think again friend, this thing actuallty has a deep history! It's only the tip of the iceberg, lol! And here's the rest of it! *(Manon takes out their iceberg chart)*
**Cybermare:** So, you're gonna explain the history of the iceberg meme through an actual iceberg?
**Manon:** Yeah!
**Cybermare:** Damn. Okay. If that's what it takes for you to do an iceberg video, let's do that.
**Manon:** Yay! You probably came across this trend during your internet surfing. It's about iceberg tiers. The principe is simple; the image is about a specific topic and is filled with secrets and theories, the lower you go, the more obscure it is. But the lower parts are always mysterious and intruiging, and that's what the video is for. It's gonna try explaining everything mentioned in the iceberg image. It's a pretty engaging dynamic, having a guide to hold your hand and slowly descend into the most obscure corners of whatever the topic is. Anyway, let's get into it!

### The Google Maps Anomaly Iceberg Explained

**Manon:** The Google Maps Anomaly Iceberg Explained. The most popular iceberg tier video at the time of recording, with over 8 million views! And it came out a whole year after the trend setter, which is the next entry.

### The Super Mario 64 Iceberg: explained

**Manon:** The Super Mario 64 Iceberg: explained. It came out on June 25, 2020, and it has at the moment over 4 million views! It was explained by Mish Koz. I was suprised to see that this is also the video to introduced the concept of the "confidence meter". Something that'll be present in a lot of other iceberg explained videos. The more the meter is full, the more the YouTuber knows what they're talking about! I was going to do it for this video but I made the iceberg so, no need lol.
**Cybermare:** Yo, Manon.
**Manon:** What?
**Cybermare:** Check this out. I made an iceberg too.
**Manon:** Woa! What is it? Show me show me!
**Cybermare:** I'll send it to ya. The newest version of the bing bing wahoo 64 iceberg, pretty accurate huh?
**Manon:** Very funny Cybermare... How about we move on to below the surface?

### Twitter caused the trending

**Manon:** Twitter caused the trending. This entry is about the tweet linked in the *Mario 64* iceberg explained video's description. It's where Mish Koz got the iceberg image. It was shared by Megarian on May 23 of the same year. And It got a lot of traction on Twitter! This was clearly the start of the snowball effect. A big boom on Twitter leading to a big boom on YouTube! But we can dig even deeper. Megarian wasn't the creator of this iceberg. It wasn't created by anyone in particular, but it was made by a group of anonymous peeps. I asked Megarian where they found the iceberg and they did confirm it was on /v/, a board on 4chan. This thread is the one where the final *Mario 64* iceberg was made. Dating from May 22, it's the earliest instance I could find of the iceberg on the internet. And since the post says "added one that was already on there", i think it's fair to assume that this anon created this version. By scrolling up the thread, you can even find earlier versions of the iceberg! But this is sadly the earliest version I could find. Meaning this might be the thread that gave birth to the whole *Mario 64* iceberg! You can see anons discussing several entries that would later appear on the picture, like "wet dry world negative emotional aura", "Secret Aquarium" and "The Bowser room". But remember that this is speculatory, there could have been earlier versions I might have missed.

### Side pictures unknown origins

**Manon:** Side pictures unknown origins. There's another thing interesting with this thread. It contains those two pictures, which appear to be unedited versions of the pictures that appear on the side of the *Mario 64* iceberg. But I also can't find an earlier origin of them. It seems like this is also where they were posted for the first time on the internet. I really thought I'd find a better source, but they feel so random here, like they just popped into existence out of nowhere.

### Pre-YouTube Trend Icebergs on Imageboards

**Manon** Pre-YouTube Trend Icebergs on Imageboards. Iceberg tiers were already existing for years before they got really popular. Before 2020, there were something you'd find on imageboards, especially 4chan. The music board /mu/ has an iceberg image with the lower you go, the more obscure the music genre is. The video game board /v/ has that too, but also a video game conspiracies iceberg. /x/ is the board with the most iceberg images, all focused on conspiracies. But 4chan archives are pretty limited, so it's hard to find when this trend started. All you gotta remember is that this was already a trend for years, but mostly on 4chan.

### The Interent May 31 2011

**Manon:** The Interent. May 31, 2011. According to KnowYourMeme, this could be the earliest iceberg tier of the internet.
**Cybermare:** Bruh, really? KnowYourMeme?
**Manon:** Whaaat?
**Cybermare:** Come on, I thought we were better than this.
**Manon:** KnowYourMeme is perfectly servicable! But if it makes you feel better, all the research up to this point has been done without using it.
**Cybermare:** Ugh. Okay, keep going. This image is just an iceberg tier of websites, but it's also using the iceberg metaphor to show the surface level web against the deep dark web.

### Creepy Dolphin Original Photograph

**Manon:** Creepy dolphin original photograph. You might have noticed how imageboards icebergs tend to portray a person getting more gross and larger as you descend the tiers. But near the end, this person transform in a creepy looking water creature. Possibly the result of knowing such forbidden knowledge. Well according to National Geographic, this is a picture of a beluga whale taken by San Diego's National Marine Mammal Foundation. This picture was used for an article dating back in 2012. This is a real picture, but beluga whales are not all spoopy like this! The shadows are tricking you into seeing a face, but you can see that the whale's eyes are right here! Well, that's reassuring! Let's explore the dark waters.

### กลุ่มจิตวิเคราะห์/ralphclevenger.com

**Manon:** กลุ่มจิตวิเคราะห์. This entry is refering to an article written in Thaï. It's talking about Freud's conception of the human psyche. But most importantly, look! It's the same iceberg photo used on every other iceberg meme! This might be the first time this specific iceberg photograph is used on the internet. But we have a research issue on our paws. This website is dated September 30, 2002 on Google, but don't be fooled, Google sites can have extremely wonky dates! Here's something I came across during my research, it's the internet iceberg image from 2011 but on a website dating back to July 1994!
**Cybermare:** Yo, I didn't know they had Tumblr in the 90s.
**Manon:** Yeah, archives are already hard to browse, and those wrongly dated websites are not helping! We've been talking about icebergs a lot in this video. But did you ever wonder where the iceberg photograph itself comes from?
**Cybermare:** Um, no. Literallly nobody wondered that.
**Manon:** Well ralphclevenger.com is the website of the photograph who took the picture! You can find the original iceberg photo in all it's glory! It's from 1997 and was actually the first of it's kind! An iceberg showing little at the top but showing a lot more underneath the surface! That's why it's so popular!
**Cybermare:** Hey Manon.
**Manon:** Oh what is it this time?
**Cybermare:** You might wanna add a new layer to your iceberg. I just found out something. *(uses her unicorn magic to drag her phone to the screen)*

### Iceberg picture is fake

**Cybermare:** Iceberg picture is fake. So, this dude has a small interview on YouTube and on it, he explains how this is actually Photoshopped.
**Manon:** Oh?
**Cybermare:** Yeah Photoshop existed at the time. What's underwater is actually the top of another iceberg that's been flipped over. He says it's not even color corrected.
**Manon:** Woah! really?
**Cybermare:** Yeah. Just hear it from the photographer himself.
**Ralph A. Clevenger:** The sky and the water was taken out here in California. The top iceberg was shot in Antartica. And the bottom iceberg was shot in Alaska above water. And then we cut it out and flipped it, and put it underwater.
**Manon:** This iceberg pic was fake the entire time!? Mind equals blown!
**Cybermare:** Heh, kinda ironic how that creepy dolphin photo is actually real, but the iceberg photo is fake.
**Manon:** What do other web users think about this?
**Cybermare:** I guess they didn't know either, but they're also talking about how it's obvious for anyone who thinks about it more than one second. Something to do with water density.
**Manon:** Oh, we couldn't possibly know that. That's all stuff from the human world.
**Cybermare:** *(sigh)* Yeah...
**Manon:** Well it's not internet related so I don't really care. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this deep dive into iceberg meme lore!
**Cybermare:** This better get more traction than usual, we really need those views.
**Manon:** Don't worry, I'm sure *LOVEWEB* will be big in no time.
**Cybermare:** Hm, maybe if I keep thinking of trendy topics we'll be okay-
**Manon:** No, I'm tired! So while you search trendy topics, I'll go dream about *LOVEWEB* topics that are instead not "cringe"! *(Manon goes to sleep, as Cybermare tries to write down a list on her phone of what topics she can suggest Manon to do, and then sees that she has 42% gas capacity before passing out)*
*(Credits roll)*
**Manon:** Hi interent friends and webbies! Don't forget to check out the Patreon to support the show! You can be featured right here with all these epic peats, like a boss!

## Music

* Michael Guy Bowman - We're riding on the internet (LOVEWEB Remix)
* Mario Paint (Hirokazu Tanaka, Ryoji Yoshitomi & Kazumi Totaka) - Creative Exercise
* yuuneey - What The Internet Sounds Like
* yuuneey - Loveweb Theme 1 [Welcome To The Show]
* Yume Nikki (Kikiyama) - The Snowy World
* Super Mario 64 (Koji Kondo) - Cool Cool Mountain
* yuuneey - LOVEWEB Theme 2 [Dial-Up]
* yuuneey - LOVEWEB Theme 3 [Search Engine]
* Super Mario 64 (Koji Kondo) - Dire Dire Docks (beta)
* RELOADED - Torchlight II installer
* AHCU - 1st Privacy Tool for Windows 7.3.2
* Ecco the Dolphin - Undercaves
* Yume Nikki (Kikiyama) - The Dark World
* Portal (Kelly Bailey) - Self Esteem Fund
* Ruth White - Beginnings
* yuuneey - (Bonus) Deeper Internet
* Yume 2kki (Mosenite) - The Ceiling [Reversed]

## Patreon Supporters

### Lurker Tier

* Sadi Makara
* roecomplex
* SaltyMalt
* linkdude64
* Steeb
* Smearg
* zzzajac
* zzx
* Limit
* Christopher Roger Simons
* NaxdXIII
* mocha

### Leaker Tier

* Jibachu Laloutre
* ACSPlays!
* verden
* Kallipso
* Baplar
* TheLuminentGamer
* Callie Calico
* Sprint
* Loom
* dormantNormandy
* buenDisk

### Low Tier

* Alabaster
* Ethan Straub
* Chip Wisearn
* Muluki
* Ben Saint
* peacefulpanda
* Krak
* Mr Ndranndran
* Jibby Mitchua
* Merdaran
* Karon FQ
* skookz
* Prince Isolation

### Haxor

* socklomoty
* Dooter
* FNAF Fanboy
* Cybershell

### Channel Members

* "My Wife"
* Fluffette
* Tired Eddie
* nicowo\_420
* EpixPicture
* Collin
* Arwe Twi
* this is a guy
* Dafky Zero
* MJ Lemmonsnout
* D1560

## Fanart Credits

* CandyIsNotHere
* Fillywonk
* buenDisk
* Bulba413
* Jazzicat
* PeacefulPanda
* A real cake
* skookz
* thatonebaster

#### Notes

1. ↑ Has an animated segment.
2. ↑ Has an animated segment.
3. ↑ Has an animated segment.
4. ↑ Has an animated segment.
5. ↑ Contributor has 3 arts.
6. ↑ Contributor has 2 arts.
7. ↑ Contributor has 2 arts.
8. ↑ Contributor has 4 arts.

## Trivia

* The original title was "Iceberg Trend Explained".
* This is the first episode to have subtitles upon its release.
* At 9:03, here are a list of things Cybermare wrote on her "loveweb ideas" notes:
	+ "FNF (popular on shadok's channel)" is *Friday Night Funkin'* and also references how Shadok's most viewed video is "VS M1KU-B0T" which is an animation based on the game.
	+ "Deltarune (wait for next chapter?)" is *Deltarune* and also possibly references to wait for the entire game to be finished since making a topic about the game without all its chapters out would feel unfinished.
	+ "NFT??? maybe for hateweb lmao" references the controversies of NFT's usage.
	+ "Dream smp >minecraft e-celebs" references the private invite-only survival multiplayer *Minecraft* server by Dream and TommyNotFound "Dream SMP".
	+ "Among us (wait too late)" is a reference to *Among Us*' massive popularity during 2020 and trying to do a topic of it after its status being popular fade out references how doing topics on media like those wouldn't get lots of attention.
	+ "FNAF (dont want loveweb to be watched by a bunch of kids)" is *Five Nights at Freddy's* and also references how the game's fanbase is full of young people (as most trendy games have this trait) and how Cybermare doesn't want the fanbase of *LOVEWEB* to be filled with young people.
	+ "Analog horror kino not web related tho" is the analog horror genre which is a genre stemmed from the internet with the webseries *Local58* inventing it. It is unknown what does Cybermare mean that its "not web related".