ABSTRACT
In the last decade, internet memes, characterized by an image overlaid with text, have become increasingly popular with the average Millennial who looks at 20–30 memes daily (Tama, 2018). But what makes an internet meme a meme? And what attracts users to not only view memes but also create and share them? This chapter reviews the existent literature, explicates this form of user-generated content, and provides a set of characteristics to differentiate internet memes from other type of content also shared online. The goal of this exercise is to provide the study of internet memes with an integrated definition, encompassing the mutually understood set of characteristics of memes. More specifically, through a thematic and meaning analysis, this chapter provides a tool, or measure, for the analysis of the uses, motivations, and effects of this new media trend.
