The 2008-2012 Dark Age of Memes must never be repeated. In order to learn from our sins, all members of meme culture must fully understand the difference between an image macro and a meme.
An image macro is nothing more than an image superimposed with blocky white text. The text was supposedly âwittyâ, however current memologists have yet to understand why citizens of the Dark Age thought this. A focus group of meme connoisseurs agrees that the image macro was the face of the Dark Age, along with the rage comic (featured in an upcoming post). One connoisseur remembered the era with a haunted shudder, saying âamateur memers were slapping text on any image and calling it a meme. Truly a dark timeâ. Equally base cousins of the image macro are the demotivational poster and the advice animal.
A meme is any idea, in any format, that spreads across the internet. It could be an image, or text, or video, or anything else. Memes can branch out of the internet as well. Well-known contemporary examples include Pepe, Rickrolling, and shouting âJOHN CENAâ as often as possible.
While not all memes are created equal, they all must spread through meme culture and evolve along the way. Most image macros do not fit this definition. Seriously, itâs just a picture with the caption on the image instead of below. While some image macros, such as socially awkward penguin, are considered memes, an image macro should only be called a meme after careful deliberation. Currently, in these times of dankness, it is rare to see an image macro meme in mainstream circulation.
The distinction between image macros and memes grows more important everyday. In recent years, image macros have trickled down to groups that in the past have typically been isolated from internet culture, such as baby boomers. While meme culture is welcoming of anyone who loves memes, these people have mistakenly begun to say that image macros are memes. The image macros they circulate are not usually memes. This error must be corrected before they get a hold of rage comics and revive the dark times. Meme forecasters have already begun to stockpile the dankest memes, which only exacerbates the problem. Memes must be spread, not hoarded, or else they die and leave more room for image macros to seize control.
The consequences of putting the lowly image macro in the same group as the versatile meme could be severe. Meme culture contains many subcultures, but they all meme in harmony and are united by their quest for dankness. If more people begin to see image macros as the primary meme format, the internet could be torn into two warring sects: dank and dark. Meme culture would not recover from such a blow. We must learn from our mistakes and stray no further from the light.
