When did memes become text?

[slaphappygamer]

I remember way back when memes were invented, they were a photo with text. Now, they seem to either photo AND text, text only, or photo only. When did this happen?

 

[FAST6191]

Invented?
Are you thousands of years old?

Also there have been plenty of spoken ones (Bud Weis Er if we are going to kick it more early 2000s).

Anyway it is a thing that has been noted by various connoisseurs of the art form. It is typically observed in those that find the need to be overly specific, often in case they offend someone if they generalise. This is to say those with a sense of humour failure but wanting to be one of the cool kids, you may then need to find better sites/sources.

 

[JuanMena]

Invented?
Are you thousands of years old?

Also there have been plenty of spoken ones (Bud Weis Er if we are going to kick it more early 2000s).

Those frogs... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Then, in that sense, I'd modify slap's comment to:

"I remember when memes had suspicious executable files, no more than mere megabites.
I loved the meme that I received from the prince of *Nigeria.
Oh boy, and those Bill Gates love letters of him wanting to share me some of his money!
What a lad"

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

In my times, meme generator was called hotmail.com
And imgflip was called AOL.

 

[FAST6191]

Those frogs... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Then, in that sense, I'd modify slap's comment to:

"I remember when memes had suspicious executable files, no more than mere megabites.
I loved the meme that I received from the prince of Uganda.
Oh boy, and those Bill Gates love letters of him wanting to share me some of his money!
What a lad"

Just because you are too cynical

 

[JuanMena]

Just because you are too cynical

Thank you very much kind sir.
You still have a fan within me.
My heart beats for you.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Oh right... nigeria!

 

[slaphappygamer]

I remember those frogs! I didn’t know that’s what a meme is. I am a thousand years old.

 

[FAST6191]

I remember those frogs! I didn’t know that’s what a meme is. I am a thousand years old.

https://memeguy.com/photo/278442/inscriptions-found-scratched-or-painted-on-the-walls-of-pompeii
https://www.history.co.uk/article/t...uvius-in-79-ad-and-the-destruction-of-pompeii

 

[p1ngpong]

I beg you dont cry

 

[Veho]

Per the definition of "meme", memes became text around the time that writing was invented, give or take a few years.

 

[tfocosta]

 

[FAST6191]

Per the definition of "meme", memes became text around the time that writing was invented, give or take a few years.

Most of the early writing systems I have seen were almost exclusively used by accountants and priests (or sometimes one or the other depending upon where it was invented).
Similarly I am not sure text is necessary and there was probably some caveman that transmitted an idea/unit of culture and had a vocalised (maybe not even verbalised) version.

 

[Veho]

Most of the early writing systems I have seen were almost exclusively used by accountants and priests (or sometimes one or the other depending upon where it was invented).

And religions are one of the first and prime examples of a "meme" by its original definition, the ur-meme if you will. So priests writing down sacred texts and transcribing oral tradition is the first meme-become-text.
And I don't think students back then were above carving crude jokes into any available surface (well, maybe not the accountants. They are proverbially dull).

Similarly I am not sure text is necessary and there was probably some caveman that transmitted an idea/unit of culture and had a vocalised (maybe not even verbalised) version.

Memes are not confined to the written word, but the question was "when did memes become text", not "when did memes come into being" which is a whole other kettle of fish.

 

[slaphappygamer]

The word “meme” was invented in 1976. I just Wikipediaed it.