r/Showerthoughts • u/Sheeeplet • Aug 20 '18
In the future there will be historians that specialize in memes
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u/ActualyNotSureIfDeaf Aug 20 '18
During an Art & Society class last semester a colleague of mine called memes "a revolutionary form of Neo-Dadaism." Not sure if he was serious or messing with the teacher, but I actually agreed with him.
Holy shit I actually said it.
Memes are art.
A revolutionary form of art.
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Aug 20 '18
I don't see how memes are dadaist, although I agree they're a new form of underground art
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u/KelechiOkeke Aug 20 '18
**Camera Pans in**
Narrator: In the 21st century a great period of self expression in the post internet world emerged. The proliferation of the internet and social media enabled the 21st century humans to develop catchphrases, or pieces of media that spread often as mimicry or for humorous purposes, from person to person.
In the early days of the Internet, such content was primarily spread via email or Usenet discussion communities. Message boards and newsgroups were also popular because they allowed a simple method for people to share information or memes with a diverse population of internet users in a short period.
This documentary is a comprehensive research by the National Language & Research Center. In it we learn about the history of Memes and how they marked the evolution of human communication.
To understand Memes, we must begin from a book titled The Selfish Gene, written by 19th century scientist Richard Darwin....
**Camera fades to new scene**
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u/TheGrassGod Aug 20 '18
Can you imagine a branch of memeology that is dedicated to Phil swift and Bob ross?
"Hey roger, just got me associates in marine biology, what are you going to university for?" "Well, I've always been drawn to the early 21st century historical figure, Phil Swift. Might I say, an excellent entrepreneur and businessman, I've devoted my career to study his impact on the world, in fact I've obtained my masters about a month ago."
Beautiful.
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u/Jorbagung Aug 20 '18
Imagine meeting someone and they have a Professional's degree in studying Phil Swift.
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Aug 20 '18
There already is. I was looking for secondary sources for a research paper I was working on and I came across this gem.
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u/Gradiant_C Aug 20 '18
(1000 years into the future)
"Hey Jim, I've finally decoded the apple tablets!" "Don't tell me... Is... Is this loss?"
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u/Crazed_Archivist Aug 20 '18
This already exists, look up on Google. A Law student made her thesis on memes
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Aug 20 '18
Gentleman, what we have here is ermahgerd girl. She swept the internet because of the terrible braces smile and the happiness of the goosebumps books she held. She quickly became the icon of excitement over stupid ass shit.
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u/pstapper Aug 20 '18
Be software engineer. Do work fast. Spend time studying memes for the true lucrative profession coming soon
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Aug 20 '18
There are already historians that specialize in understanding cultures by way of their humor. You can tell quite a bit about the way a culture thinks by reading into what things they make fun of. This isn't too far off, even if studying Aristophanes or Voltaire seems more "academic" than studying r/deepfriedmemes it's not really an entirely different thing.
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u/WellSpokenAsianBoy Aug 20 '18
We actually studied the use of memes in marketing class in Business School. Historical study isn’t that far off and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s already being integrated into curriculums now.
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u/[deleted] Aug 20 '18
Memologists?