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Fast, Cheap And Out of Control!

I just read this article on NPR with the hilarious title, “Political Memes: Fast, Cheap And Out of Control?” Memes, like rat-brain robots, are fast becoming self-aware. In fact, they’re taking over the way we communicate with one another. That’s why the Writing Center wants to help you make your own meme.

Step One:

Find (or create) a funny image. This is probably the hardest part. Most memes utilize a facial expression to encapsulate a complex idea. It also helps to use a recognizable person. Observe this meme image, Conspiracy Keanu:

Such a fantastic conspiracy face.

Step Two:

Name your meme. Your image is of something, right? Take that noun and describe it somehow. What’s the theme of your meme? Alliteration (the repetition of consonant sounds) is popular in the naming process, i.e, Conspiracy Keanu and Good Guy Greg. You can also turn it into a pun, like Philosoraptor, shown here:

Sometimes your image will have an already-attributed name, like The Most Interesting Man in the World. You want your name to be memorable and culturally relevant.  First World Problems is a great example of a meme name or theme that doesn’t use alliteration; it’s all about the facial expression and the cultural relevance of the topic.

Step Three:

Now you have to add text. Many memes utilize a top text/bottom text structure.  Concision is key. Top text often start with a verb because we assume the person/thing in the picture is the subject of the sentence. Here’s an example of text from a Bad Luck Brian meme:

Top text: Takes Shower.

Bottom Text: Drowns.

Here’s another meme that operates on the same principle of concision:

Step Four:

Let it go! The success of your meme depends on a combination of all the steps listed above, and timing. You can make your own memes at http://www.quickmeme.com/make/.

Grammar Cats Rule The Internets

Chances are that if you’re reading this on tumblr, you’re familiar with the adorable lolcat memes that rule message boards around the Internet. You’re probably also familiar with the common angry responses when posters on those message boards are not correctly using things like the proper form of “your” or “there” (among the plethora of other grammatical errors). So naturally, in the crazy world of the Internet, those two things have become combined into one hilariously passive aggressive meme of grammar cats. In the true nature of lolcats they don’t always spell well, but they get their point across with a furry vengeance.

Here are some grammar cats for the many different grammatical errors you might come across every day.

For old school English teachers:

For those sentence structure lovers:

For English majors:

For those who hate when you can’t tell if it’s plural or possessive:

For more grammar cats, check out the kingdom for all lolcats: icanhascheezburger.com.