I consider myself an amateur Internet user since I didn't have Internet until I went to high school and didn't become an active user until I came to the States. Thus, almost everything I encounter on the Internet comes with rainbow
. 
No, not really haha. I learn to read and filter the content on the web closely. However, I am still amazed at how the information circulates on the Internet and how certain content can go viral (I know I have mentioned this a lot, but still, it's incredible to see an intangible medium spreads through millions of people without touching them).I did not know what "meme" was until last semester, and yes, I had fun studying about meme along with its viral structure. As Jenkin mentions in his blog Spreadable Media, meme possesses three important characteristics: fidelity, fecundity, and longevity. I want to take my favorite meme
as an example (It seems every day of my college life has been reflected by this meme haha).The meme originated from a hearty smile of Yao Ming, a basketball player. Internet community "dearly" endows it with "Bitch please," or "I don't care" message. For fidelity, the meme reflects an attitude of "not taking it seriously." The Internet community favors this meme because it seems to go along with any situations in daily life. Politics? What a joke! Justin Bieber? Bitch please! Homework? Screw it (Just kidding)! The content of the meme retains in every situation and everyone can understand it easily. Fecundity of "bitch please meme" is powerful since it is being popularly replicated and used by the Internet community. The remix culture plays an important part in spreading the meme on the web because if people can make parody/remix of the meme, the chance of lasting of one meme is bigger. Lastly, about the longevity, "memes that survive longer have a better chance of being copied." Is it me or I think this should work the other way around? A meme that is being copied have a better chance to survive longer. As mention, the capability of being copied and circulated through the net.
Overall, the rage comic/memes are very popular since visual elements tend to be easier to spread and they carry the humor through simplicity. They are spreadable.
Rage comics are definitely one of my favorite memes. There is definitely an interesting community of using the same images or GIFs to display an emotion or to go along with a story. It is interesting that everyone can relate to these memes in their own way and many take and evolve them to their own stories. Like rage comic faces, everyone understands what each face means. When someone misuses a face, we all pause and judge them for their misuse (or at least I do). Everything is a remix, which makes memes all the more important to pay attention to. People are able to take these simple structures and remix them to their will. Everyone can be a writer, artist, comedic, etc. all through the simple use of memes.
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Honestly, I hadn't ever heard the word meme until Kim's class last year. My understanding of its definition and the complexities of it has become continuously foggy. From first hearing about it and thinking it was a picture with sarcastic joke on it to thinking about the idea that everything can be a meme, my understood definition has taken many forms. It seems that for me when I find a typical meme that I like it doesn't just start to pervade my internet interactions but I find myself thinking about it in general conversation. With the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meme, I will literally see his face when I want to make a sarcastic remark. It is interesting to see yet another example of how web usage and interaction bleeds into the physical world as well. I think that as the technology progresses and as definitions slowly change, we will see many different forms of memes in the future.
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