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What is a meme?

1 Min
Davide Berardino

What is a meme?

Meme is the abbreviation of "Mimeme," a word derived from Greek meaning "that which is imitated."
Returning to modern times, we can define current memes as "internet memes," which are trends that spread virally and spontaneously on the web. An internet meme can be an image, a video, a phrase - often funny - that expresses beliefs and opinions on a specific current topic. They are the trends that fill our social networks, ironic, irreverent, playful, and designed to go viral.
Here are some examples that you have probably already seen:

Historical background

The word as we know it was coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976, where the concept of meme has a broader meaning compared to the modern concept of internet meme that we see spreading on the web today. Richard defines a meme as a trend, a stereotype, an image that spreads among people through copying or imitation by dissemination and sharing.