Know Your Meme(KYM) is a website and video series which useswikisoftware to document variousInternet memesand otheronline phenomena,such asviral videos,image macros,catchphrases,Internet celebritiesand more. It also investigates new and changingmemesthrough research, as itcommercializeson the culture. Originally produced byRocketboom,the website was acquired in March 2011 byCheezburger Network,in turn acquired in 2016 by Literally Media.[1][2]Know Your Meme includes sections for confirmed, submitted, deadpooled (rejected or incompletely documented), researching, and popular memes.
 | |
Type of site | Encyclopedia |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Literally Media Ltd. |
| Created by | Rocketboom |
| Editor | Don Caldwell |
| URL | knowyourmeme |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | November 25, 2007 |
| Current status | Online |
History
edit2007–2010: Web series origins
edit
Know Your Meme was created in December 2007 as a series of videos which were part of thevlogRocketboom.It was founded by employees Kenyatta Cheese, Elspeth Rountree andJamie Wilkinson,and Rocketboom CEOAndrew Baronin their spare time, when hostJoanne Colancould not finish the current season ofRocketboom.[3]They dubbed themselves the Rocketboom Entity for Internet Studies.[4]Noticing thatinternet memeswere used by advertisers who failed to acknowledge their online origins, they found that they could trace their source by using public search tools. They also found that media coverage ofmemesseemed uninterested in how they began and spread.[4][5]
Each episode of Know Your Meme covered one meme in detail, exploring its history and context ininternet culture.They were hosted variously by Colan, Cheese, Rountree and Wilkinson, who donnedlab coatsand dubbed themselves "meme experts".[5]Baron noticed that each episode attracted more views than typical Rocketboom shows.[6]According to Cheese, memes were only starting to become popular on sites such as4chanwhen the series began, and Rocketboom allocated more resources as their popularity grew.[4]
Wilkinson had also been developing a personal database of internet memes.[3]It was repurposed as a companion to the videos and launched on the current website in 2008.[5]Due to the size of the task, Rocketboom decided tocrowdsourceand hire interns, includingAmanda Brennanand future editor Brad Kim, to develop content. This was then collated by volunteer moderators and a small editorial team. By 2010, Know Your Meme had attracted a large following and was more popular than the original web series. However, it also attracted hostility from some online communities: the website suffered constantDDoS attacksand the controversialEncyclopedia Dramaticasaid it was "mostlysafe for work,which is fucking lame ".[3][5]
2011–present: Sale to Cheezburger
editIn January 2011, Cheese, Rountree and other employees left Know Your Meme, claiming that Baron had created an "atmosphere of paranoia and competing egos" within the company; Baron disputed this and claimed that Cheese organized a "mass exodus [out of] personal vengeance".[5]In March 2011, Baron sold the Know Your Meme website and web series toCheezburger Networkfor an undisclosed seven-figure amount.[7]
In April 2016, Cheezburger was acquired by Literally Media.[5]
In June 2021, theDoge memewas minted as anNFTby Atsuko Sato, the meme's original creator, and sold on June 12, 2021, for 1696.9ETH(approximately 4 millionUSD). The NFT sale was certified by Know Your Meme.[8]
Website
editThis sectionmay contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience.(January 2023) |
At the end of 2008, after more than a year of growth, Rocketboom released an expanded database withJamie Wilkinsonas the lead developer.[9]The database includes entries for memes, trends and events, along with people and other aspects of subculture (such as films, video games, animated series and anime). Each entry has its own photo andGIFgallery; a video gallery was added in November 2010. As of January 2017, the database contained more than 2,700 entries of "confirmed" memes.[10]
The administrators have a say on what gets confirmed and what gets "deadpooled", or rejected.[11]Some of the meme entries are graphic andNot Safe For Work(NSFW).[12]NSFW entries have warnings placed along the top of the entry and ads are usually disabled. These warnings may differ from consequences, such as bans. Know Your Meme also has aforumsection,blog,and shop. Dr. Sean Rintel, who wroteThe Automated Identityblog, described Know Your Meme as "lucrative, self-supporting research that blends the humorous and the serious."[13]As of March 2019, the site is maintained by seven editorial staff members (Don Caldwell, Adam Downer, Matt Schimkowitz, Briana Milman, Sophie Dickinson and Philipp Kachalin) and one developer (Mike Schwab) in conjunction with a group of dedicated moderators. Former staff researchers include Chris Menning, Amanda Brennan, Molly Horan and Ari Spool.[14]
Reception
editKnow Your Meme has been praised by numerous publications. Its entries are frequently cited in both journalism and scholarly works covering internet memes.[15][16]The Daily DotandThe Wall Street Journaldescribed the site as "theEncyclopedia Britannica"of memes and internet culture.[3][17]Timeincluded Know Your Meme on its list of the "50 Best Websites 2009" for the web series.[18]
Know Your Meme won aStreamy Awardin 2010 for Best Guest Star in a Web Series. It won the People's VoiceWebby Awardin the Blog-Cultural category in 2012.[19]In June 2014, Know Your Meme was inducted into the Web Archiving Program ofAmerican Folklife Centerat the Library of Congress.[20]In May 2016, the website was cited as a source for explaining the concept of "dank memes" in regards to the political campaigning inthe Australian federal electionduring a discussion on theABCtelevision programmeInsiders.[21][22]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^"Literally Media Buys Cheezburger To Reach Millennials".www.mediapost.com.RetrievedJune 13,2019.
- ^"Cheezburger's new owner is Israeli digital-media company".The Seattle Times.April 21, 2016.RetrievedJune 13,2019.
- ^abcdMorris, Kevin (November 30, 2012)."A day in the office with Know Your Meme—the Web's" Britannica "".The Daily Dot.RetrievedMarch 13,2023.
- ^abcConti, Allie (May 26, 2016)."A Co-Creator of Know Your Meme Explains What the Hell a Meme Actually Is".Vice.RetrievedMarch 13,2023.
- ^abcdefTiffany, Kaitlyn (March 6, 2018)."The story of the internet, as told by Know Your Meme".The Verge.RetrievedMarch 13,2023.
- ^Gannes, Liz (April 6, 2009)."Intel Sponsors Rocketboom".Gigaom.RetrievedMarch 13,2023.
- ^Hustvedt, Marc (March 28, 2011)."'Know Your Meme' Acquired By Cheezburger in Seven-Figure Deal ".Tubefilter.Archived fromthe originalon August 14, 2012.RetrievedMarch 28,2011.
- ^Rosenblatt, Kalhan (June 11, 2021)."Iconic 'Doge' meme NFT breaks record, selling for $4 million".NBCNews.com.RetrievedMay 12,2023.
- ^"The History of Know Your Meme".Dembot. December 6, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon October 20, 2013.RetrievedOctober 19,2013.
- ^"Confirmed Entries".Know Your Meme. Archived fromthe originalon September 15, 2012.RetrievedOctober 19,2013.
- ^"Deadpooled Entries".Know Your Meme.RetrievedOctober 19,2013.
- ^"NSFW".Know Your Meme. June 17, 2012.RetrievedOctober 19,2013.
- ^Rintel, Sean (September 24, 2011)."Know Your Meme" Sean Rintel ".Seanrintel.com. Archived fromthe originalon October 22, 2013.RetrievedOctober 19,2013.
- ^"About".Know Your Meme.RetrievedAugust 11,2015.
- ^Pettis, Ben T. (2022)."Know Your Memeand the Homogenization of Web History ".Internet Histories.6(3): 263–279.doi:10.1080/24701475.2021.1968657.S2CID238660211.
- ^Sonnad, Nikhil."Finally, a scientific list of the most popular memes on the internet".Quartz.RetrievedJune 5,2018.
- ^Winkie, Luke (January 5, 2023)."Behind the Scenes at the Encyclopedia Britannica of Memes".The Wall Street Journal.RetrievedMarch 15,2023.
- ^Fisher, Adam (August 24, 2009)."Know Your Meme".Time.Archivedfrom the original on August 27, 2009.RetrievedOctober 19,2013.
- ^Paul, Sonia (May 1, 2012)."16th Annual Webby Award Winners: The Complete List".Mashable.
- ^"Getting serious about collecting and preserving digital culture | Folklife Today".blogs.loc.gov.June 5, 2014.RetrievedOctober 20,2016.
- ^"WATCH: 'Insiders' Had To Explain 'Dank Memes' To Boomers, RIP The Internet".Pedestrian.tv.May 22, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 13,2018.
- ^Atkins, Denis(May 22, 2016)."Cool kids bring dank memes into the election campaign but only for a nanosecond".The Courier Mail.RetrievedFebruary 13,2018.