For anyone browsing the Internet, it’s likely they’ve stumbled across, sent, or received a meme. A grumpy cat with a silly caption. Maybe a mock motivational poster. Or a series of stick figures in distress. Over time, meme trends come and go, but at their core, memes are the simple combination of an image with text. But memes can only exist as a collective. A meme can be conceptualized as a self-replicating chunk of information made to be shared and repeated in accordance with human nature. The original meaning of the initial meme shared on the Internet can be re-interpreted and re-created from different perspectives endlessly.
Why are memes made and re-made? Why are memes saved and shared? Meme-ry is a book exploring those questions by finding the origins of meme formats, their replications, and reflections on meme culture. The idea of memory transforms into the name Meme-ry. Recalling a memory can be as challenging as sourcing a meme. Like combing through memories, categorizing a collection of memes is an act rife with chaos and confusion. Meme-ry invites readers to discover the genesis and evolution of memes and gives space for viewers to annotate and reflect on their own engagement with memes.