this post was submitted on 08 Feb 2026
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Hey, if grandpa is old enough to recognize this one, he probably remembers the attempts by /b/ users to find some definition of "meme" (or at least internet memes) that excluded the garbage that reddit popularized to the point of ending up being shared by "normies" on facebook.
I get it, it used to be important to me too. Gatekeeping was the point for a lot of people who defined themselves by membership to a sort of secret internet "in-club" when they didn't fit into any groups or cliques irl. At least, that was the case with me like 18 years ago or so.
It was never about the literal definition, but about making a definition for "internet in-joke" to create lines of separation between the in-group and the out-group.
At one point, "meme" was only synonymous with those rage faces. This was the 9gag days. It really grinded my gears. And this was indeed caused by normies adopting the term.
"Memes" being just rage faces and advice animals to the wider internet was probably the most infuriating time period for me.
It was like the whole world collectively and simultaneously chose the most embarassing ways to anthropomophize their emotions.
It's happening again with the term "AI".
Before "meme" was adopted, they were widely known as "image macros."
Another term prior to “meme” was to refer to meme ideas as “fads”!