Meme Chronicles: How Internet Humor Evolved
2000-2005
2005-2010
2010-2015
2015-2020
2020-2025
Future
Early 2000s: The Birth of Internet Memes
2000-2005: In the beginning, internet memes were quite simple, often appearing on forums or in video comments. However, they weren’t as widespread as they are today. Memes during this period mostly appeared on platforms like Something Awful or Newgrounds.
meme: “Dancing Baby” (1996)
Though it appeared in the late ’90s, this “meme” was one of the first viral internet sensations, symbolizing early memes.
meme: “All Your Base Are Belong to Us” (2000)
A phrase from a poorly translated Japanese video, which became popular on forums.
Mid-2000s: Flash Animation and Early Viral Videos
2005-2010: This was the time when memes started gaining popularity through viral videos, and platforms like YouTube and MySpace became hotbeds for meme creation.
meme: “Charlie bit my finger” (2007)
A viral video that became one of the most popular of its time.
Meme: “Rickrolling” (2007)
A prank involving a fake link that leads to Rick Astley’s music video for “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
2010s: Social Media and Memes on a New Level
2010-2015: Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and newer platforms like Instagram and Tumblr became key spaces for meme-sharing. Short videos on Vine also became a massive phenomenon.
Meme: “Distracted Boyfriend” (2015)
An image of a man looking at another woman, which became a symbol for various situations involving choices.
Meme: “Mocking SpongeBob” (2013)
A meme featuring SpongeBob in a distorted pose to represent a mocking tone.
2015-2020: Memes on New Platforms
2015-2020: Memes became part of daily life, and they turned into their own subculture. TikTok, which launched in 2016, also had a major influence on memes, with new formats like audio-based memes and trends emerging.
Meme: “Surprised Pikachu” (2017)
An image of Pikachu looking surprised, which became popular on social media.
Meme: “Woman Yelling at a Cat” (2019)
A combination of an image from “Real Housewives” and a picture of a cat, becoming a symbol for humorous situations.
2020s: Memes During the Pandemic and New Trends
2020-2025: The COVID-19 pandemic brought about new memes related to lockdowns, quarantines, and working from home. TikTok became even more popular, and memes on this platform became viral through short videos.
Meme: “How It Started vs. How It’s Going” (2020)
A meme showing changes in something (life, relationships, career).
Meme: “Bernie Sanders Mittens” (2021)
A meme featuring Senator Bernie Sanders sitting at the inauguration wearing warm mittens.
2025 and the Future
Memes will continue to evolve with new technologies like AI, virtual reality, and augmented reality, transforming how they are created and consumed. We may see interactive memes, immersive virtual worlds, and real-time meme generation using AI.
AI-Generated Memes
Using AI tools like ChatGPT or DALL·E, people can create memes by generating images or videos from text prompts. In the future, memes could be automatically created to reflect trends, user preferences, and social moods in real time.
Memes in Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual reality could bring interactive memes, allowing users to become part of meme scenarios in 3D spaces. Instead of just viewing them, users might experience memes in virtual worlds or games, with memes changing based on their choices.
2000-2005
Early 2000s: The Birth of Internet Memes
2000-2005: In the beginning, internet memes were quite simple, often appearing on forums or in video comments. However, they weren’t as widespread as they are today. Memes during this period mostly appeared on platforms like Something Awful or Newgrounds.
meme: “Dancing Baby” (1996)
Though it appeared in the late ’90s, this “meme” was one of the first viral internet sensations, symbolizing early memes.
meme: “All Your Base Are Belong to Us” (2000)
A phrase from a poorly translated Japanese video, which became popular on forums.
2005-2010
Mid-2000s: Flash Animation and Early Viral Videos
2005-2010: This was the time when memes started gaining popularity through viral videos, and platforms like YouTube and MySpace became hotbeds for meme creation.
meme: “Charlie bit my finger” (2007)
A viral video that became one of the most popular of its time.
Meme: “Rickrolling” (2007)
A prank involving a fake link that leads to Rick Astley’s music video for “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
2010-2015
2010s: Social Media and Memes on a New Level
2010-2015: Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and newer platforms like Instagram and Tumblr became key spaces for meme-sharing. Short videos on Vine also became a massive phenomenon.
Meme: “Distracted Boyfriend” (2015)
An image of a man looking at another woman, which became a symbol for various situations involving choices.
Meme: “Mocking SpongeBob” (2013)
A meme featuring SpongeBob in a distorted pose to represent a mocking tone.
2015-2020
2015-2020: Memes on New Platforms
2015-2020: Memes became part of daily life, and they turned into their own subculture. TikTok, which launched in 2016, also had a major influence on memes, with new formats like audio-based memes and trends emerging.
Meme: “Surprised Pikachu” (2017)
An image of Pikachu looking surprised, which became popular on social media.
Meme: “Woman Yelling at a Cat” (2019)
A combination of an image from “Real Housewives” and a picture of a cat, becoming a symbol for humorous situations.
2020-2025
2020s: Memes During the Pandemic and New Trends
2020-2025: The COVID-19 pandemic brought about new memes related to lockdowns, quarantines, and working from home. TikTok became even more popular, and memes on this platform became viral through short videos.
Meme: “How It Started vs. How It’s Going” (2020)
A meme showing changes in something (life, relationships, career).
Meme: “Bernie Sanders Mittens” (2021)
A meme featuring Senator Bernie Sanders sitting at the inauguration wearing warm mittens.
Future
2025 and the Future
Memes will continue to evolve with new technologies like AI, virtual reality, and augmented reality, transforming how they are created and consumed. We may see interactive memes, immersive virtual worlds, and real-time meme generation using AI.
AI-Generated Memes
Using AI tools like ChatGPT or DALL·E, people can create memes by generating images or videos from text prompts. In the future, memes could be automatically created to reflect trends, user preferences, and social moods in real time.
Memes in Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual reality could bring interactive memes, allowing users to become part of meme scenarios in 3D spaces. Instead of just viewing them, users might experience memes in virtual worlds or games, with memes changing based on their choices.
