The story of the internet, as told by Know Your Meme - The ...

Talking to Know Your Meme editor Brad Kim about 10 years of cataloguing the culture of the internet. Skiptomaincontent clock menu more-arrow no yes Filedunder: Web Thestoryoftheinternet,astoldbyKnowYourMeme After10yearsofdocumentingmemes,nobodyhasseenthismuchshit By KaitlynTiffany@kait_tiffany Mar6,2018,12:47pmEST PhotographybyAmeliaHolowatyKrales|IllustrationsbyGarretBeard Sharethisstory SharethisonFacebook SharethisonTwitter Share Allsharingoptions Share Allsharingoptionsfor: Thestoryoftheinternet,astoldbyKnowYourMeme Linkedin Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email BradKim’smotherrecentlyfoundJesus,whichisnicebutalittlebitofaproblemforhim.“Idon’tknowhowtotellmymom,like,‘Idon’tthinkIcanevergetreligious,aslongasI’montheinternet.It’skindoftheanti-Bible.Youlearneverythingterribleabouthumanbeings.’” KimhasbeenwhattheTwittersetcalls“terminallyonline”foralmostadecadenow,eversincehegraduatedfromNYUwithajournalismdegreein2009—arguablytheworstmomentinlivingmemorytograduatefromNYUwithajournalismdegree.Withfewoptionsandalong-nurturedinterestinmemes,hetookanunpaidinternshipdoingresearchforanewwebseriescalledKnowYourMeme,producedbythedailyvlogchannelRocketboom. HostedbyvariouscombinationsofJoanneColan,KenyattaCheese,JamieWilkinson,andElspethRountree—“memeexperts”inwhitelabcoats—theseriesexplainedonememeperepisode:itsorigin,itsspread,anditscontextinanonlineculturethatwasn’tbroadlyunderstoodatthetime.Theshoweventuallylaunchedanonlinememedatabase,alsocalledKnowYourMeme,whichrecentlycelebratedits10thanniversary. “Idon’tthinkIcanevergetreligious,aslongasI’montheinternet.It’skindoftheanti-Bible.” Forthelastnineyears,Kimhasspearheadedandeditedthesite,nowthemostcomprehensivehistoryofinternetcultureinexistence,adocumentthatcanelicitbothaweandnausea.Whenthesitelaunchedin2008,theprimarysourceforinformationaboutmemeswasEncyclopediaDramatica,anunwieldywikiofinternetcultureaffiliatedmostcloselywiththeinternet’sbiggestcesspool,4chan.Thepeoplewhocontributedtoitwereprotectiveofwhatwas,atthetime,anichesubculture,andKimsaysmuchoftheinformationtherewasjustjokesintertwinedwithsomefactsandfilteredbackthroughajoke. KnowYourMemesetitselfapartbyapproachingmemeswithjournalisticintegrityandrigorlongbeforemostpeoplethoughttheydeservedsuchtreatment—orevenknewwhattheywere.Thewebsitehassincebecomethego-toencyclopediaforinternetculture,anever-expandinglibraryofmemesandotherinternetphenomenathatgetscitedbypublicationslikeTheAtlanticandTheWashingtonPost,andreceivesfact-checkingcallsfromTheNewYorkTimes.Thoughmuchofthecontentit’scalledupontoexplainissilly,heinous,orboth,ithasbuiltareputationasoneoftheveryfewreputablesourcesonthemachinationsofthemostimportantandlittle-understoodinventionofourlifetime:thesocialweb.NobodyknowsmoreaboutlolsandGIFs,themechanicsofaviralgoof,orthelifeandtimesofPepetheFrog.Nobodyhasdugdeeperintothecesspoolsof4chanortheacid-tripwonderlandofTumblr.Nobodyhasseenthismuchshit. BradKimintheKnowYourMemeofficeinWilliamsburg,NewYork. Kimsaysheforgetsthatnoteveryonehasbeendesensitizedbyspelunkingdownintothemuckeverydayfor10years,butarguesthatmemecultureisn’tmalevolentsomuchasitisamoral;it’samirrorhelduptothecultureoftheinternet,which“increasinglydoesnotcareaboutthetruth,andcaresonlyaboutthenarrative,themyth.” Adecadedeep,KnowYourMemeremainsanimpartialobserverofthatamorality,onethatfunctionsnotjustasatimecapsule,butasavectorfortheviralspreadofitssubjects.Thejokesitcatalogsleechfromplatformtoplatformandgetbiggeroncethesite’seditorswriteaboutandcodifythem;sometimestheyspiraloutofcontrol.KnowYourMemeisahugeaccomplishmentandapublicservice,buttheinternethaschangeddramaticallyinthelast10years—andinthelasttwoyearsandeveninthelastweek—andthisanniversaryisasmuchachancetolookforwardatthefutureofinternetculture,queasyanddisoriented,asitistolookback. KnowYourMeme’soriginstoryisastumultuousandstrangeastheinternetitself,arollercoasterofincredibleluckfollowedbydevastating,cinematicmishaps.Theprojectstartedin2007,inthetinyRocketboomofficethatwas“basicallyahallway”inChelsea,Manhattan,co-founderKenyattaCheeseremembers.He,RocketboomfounderAndrewBaron,andElspethRountree(currentlytheengagementeditorforVoxCreative)spenttheirdays“sittingthereandsharinglinks,”andstartedtonoticethatmemeswerebeingappropriatedbybrandsandadvertiserswithoutacknowledgmentthattheirjokeshadbeensourcedfromtheinternet.Theyrealizedtheycouldprovewherethejokeswerecomingfrom,usingtoolslikeTinEye,Google’sreverse-imagesearch,Twitter’sthen-openAPI,RedditandTumblrtimestamps,and“precisionsearching.” WhenKnowYourMemelaunchedasawebseries,thewritersusedphilosophicalframeworksfromphilosopherslikeMichelFoucaultandGillesDeleuzetoriddleouttheoriginandspreadofeachmeme.Thentheyscrubbedtheacademiclanguageandfilledinthespaceswithfunnycatpictures.In2008,developerJamieWilkinson(nowheadofproductatKickstarter)builtanonlinecompaniondatabase.That’sKnowYourMemeasweknowittoday.Thecontentwasinitiallygeneratedbyacropofinterns(includingKim)andhundredsofanonymouscontributorswhowereeventuallyorganizedandeditedbyateamofvolunteermoderatorsandatinyeditorialstaff.Thesitebecamemassivelypopular,andby2010,itwasfarmorewide-reachingandbelovedthantheoriginalwebseries. “Thesethingsthesekidsweresayingtoeachotherdidn’tmakeanysense.Ithought,‘Whoiscommissioningthis?’” Kim’sinterestinmemesandviralculturebeganbeforethosewordshadenteredthemainstream.HegrewupinKoreaandmovedaroundalot,oftenfindingthatanewschoolmeantnewslangandnewdialectsthathedidn’tquiteunderstand.Hecouldn’tparticipateintheconversationwithoutknowingthein-jokes.“Thesethingsthesekidsweresayingtoeachotherdidn’tmakeanysense.Ithought,‘Whoiscommissioningthis?Whoisissuingtheseandmakingthesehappen?’”heremembers.“Yeah,that’smemeculture.”Later,heparticipatedinonlinegaming,wherememesweremostlycatchphraseslike“Nogirlsontheinternet”and“Titsorgtfo.”Hedoesn’treallyknowhowtotalkaboutthatnowandjustlaughsatinystare-at-the-floorlaugh.“Ooh,uh,thatwasadifferenttimeontheinternet.” Itwasanditwasn’t—itwasalessexaminedtimeforsure. Asforhowresearchingmemesbecameafull-timejob,well,“Ireallylikeddoingitbecauseforme,itwaskindoflikenotdoingwork.”OnhisfirstdayatKnowYourMeme,thestaffsentKimtoChinatowntofindaplushtoyversionofMudkips,alesserpokémonthatwaspartofapopularin-jokeon4chan.Hefailed,hesays,buthelovedit. WhenKnowYourMemefirststartedhuntingformetadataandexplainingmemeswithlineartimelinesthatpeopleoutsidethesubculturecouldunderstand,thereactionwashostile—theknee-jerkreactionofasomewhatseedycommunitythatresistedincreasedvisibilityonitsmoredistastefulcontent.KimsaysthesitesufferedDDoSattacksconstantlyandthattheofficeswouldoftenreceivedeliveriesofemptypizzaboxes—avagueandkindofsillythreat,butathreatallthesame.They’dalsoreceivesweet,pleadingemailsfromRedditkidswhowantedtopulloffabenignhoaxoralongformjokewithouthavingtheircoverblown.Likeeverythingelsethathaseverexistedonline,it’sbeenamixedbag. CheesesaysthemostvaluablethingabouttheKnowYourMemeprojectinitsearlydayswasthatevenasblogslikeUrlesqueandTheHuffingtonPostandBuzzFeedbecameinterestedinmemeculture,theydidn’thavethesamepassionfortracingthewaytheymove,whatmakessomeonepullamemeoutofonecommunityandpostitinanother.“Wecanbuildthesegiantbrandsandgiantamplifiersofcultureontopof[theinternet],butintheend,it’sstillthisgiantpeer-to-peernetwork,”hesays.That’swhyhegotsointobodybuildingforumsintheearlyKnowYourMemedays:theywereaweirdlyreliableearlypredictorofthingsthatwouldeventuallybecomehugememes,whichseemsstrangeandunexplainableonthesurface,butspeakstotheoft-forgottenfactthateveninatopic-specificforum,“there’salotofculturehappeningtherebecausethesearepeople.Right?” Discussingthemainstreammedia’sbroadfailuretoappropriatelyengagewithoranalyzeinternetculture,Cheeseexplainsthatthere’snosuchthingasa“viralvideo.”Videosarevideos;it’snetworksthatareviral.“Theinternetdoesn’tactuallylovecats,”hesays.“Butthereisthisverydense,highlyconnectedinternetcatindustrialcomplex—peoplewhoreallylovecatswhoaresuperwell-connectedtoeachotheracrossseveralplatforms,suchthatifyouputjusttherightcatvideoinfrontofsomebody,theycangetitouttosomanycatloversthatallofasuddenyou’llseeitreplicated10timesinyourFacebookfeed.”Theassumptionthatsomethingthat’spopularisgood,andthatsomethingwithalotofviewsisvaluable,hasbeenprogrammedintousby100yearsofmassmedia,heargues.Andit’ssomethingweneedtounlearn“ifwe’regoingtounderstandmemesandifwe’regoingtounderstandinfluence.” “Thereisthisverydense,highlyconnectedinternetcatindustrialcomplex.” InJanuary2011,thewholethingblewup“spectacularly,”asCheeseputsit.HeandRountreedescribethecompanycultureatthetimeasanatmosphereofparanoiaandcompetingegos,whichtheyattributetoBaron.“Fuckingcrazyisanunderstatement,”Rountreesays.“[The]atmospherewasn’tfunanymore.Thingswerefallingapart,andhewasthereason.”RountreeandCheesemovedon,Rocketboomdissolved,andwhatwasleftofthecompanywasacquiredbyCheezburgerinMarch2011.MikeRugnetta,anewerKnowYourMemehostwhostayedonafterCheeseandRountree’sdeparture,saysBaronofferedhimthejobofCEOfornoapparentreason.HeandhisfriendPatrickDavidsonquitthenextday.RountreesayssheandCheeseonlyheardaboutthependingacquisitionthroughtheindustryrumormill,withthenewspassedtothemthroughBuzzFeed’sJonahPerettiandconfirmedbytheirfriendBenHuh(then-CEOofCheezburger). Barontellsitdifferently,sayingCheeseorganizedthemassexodusoftopemployeesoutofpersonal“vengeance,”andthatCheesewastheonewhowas“egocentricandhostile.”HealsoclaimsthatCheeseinterferedwiththesaleofRocketboomafterheleftthecompany,whichHuhrefutes,saying“Thatisnotaccurateatall.TheonlypersonwhothreatenedthedealwasAndrewBaron.”HuhsaysBaronmisrepresentedtheassetsincludedinthesale—whichwasultimatelyworthlessthanamilliondollars—andCheezburgerhadtothreatenhimwithalawsuit.“He’squiteacharacter,”headded.“Iacquiredmorethanadozenwebsites[atCheezburger].ItwasbythefartheworstinteractionI’vehadwithaseller.”HealsoremembersconfirmingRountreeandCheese’sdiagnosesoftheworkenvironmentwiththeemployeeswhoremainedafterthesale. “Itwasjarringtoseeacompanyget,notjustdissolvedfinancially,butfallapartasacreativeenergy” KimreferstothetransitionalperiodbetweenOctober2010andApril2011ashistimeinthe“100-dollarclub,theworstclubonEarth.”Meaning,hewasworkingfulltimeandgettingpaid100dollarspermonth,whichhesayswasaresultofRocketboom’scripplingfinancialproblems.(OneofthetermsoftheacquisitionwasthatBaronwouldhavetogiveback-paytoalloftheemployees.)“Itwasjarringtoseeacompanyget,notjustdissolvedfinancially,butfallapartasacreativeenergy…Yeah,KenyattaandEllie’ssentimentsreflectwhatIobservedthereatthetime.” Butamidalltheturmoil,KimandfellowinternDonCaldwellwerekepton.Theymetwithcopyrightlawyersandprotectedtheworkthey’dalreadydone;theywentfrominternstoeditors,andtheKnowYourMemedatabasewentfromafunsideprojecttowhatfeltmorelikeavaluablecommodity.Cheezburgersavedthesiteandpaidthemsalaries.ThepurviewofKnowYourMemeexpandedtopopularcultureandbroaderinternetphenomena—includingpolitics.“Theytriedtomakeitalittlemorecommercial,whichistotallyfine,youknow,ithastobeasustainablebusiness,”saysRountree.Still,shewishes“thattherewassomewaytheoriginalco-founderscouldbuyitbackandresurrectit.” BrianaMilman. Today,KnowYourMemehastrafficgoalsandbusiness-endaccountability,butCheezburgerisbasedinSeattle,andtheofficeforKnowYourMemehasalwaysbeeninNewYork.Editorially,saysKim,they’releftalone.WhenCheezburgerwasacquiredbyLiterallyMediainApril2016,notalotchanged.Thedailyprocessiswhatitalwayshasbeen:agroupemailthread,afewhourssweepingtheradarofsubforumsandwebsites,asoftdeadlineof11AMornoontodecideontheday’swrite-upsandupdates.Thelifecycleofamemehasgottenshorter,sotheyspendmoretimeon“flash-in-the-pan,72-hourmemes.” Thesiteoperatesoutofalargeroominaco-workingspaceonthewaterfrontinWilliamsburg,Brooklyn,inaplacewithfarlesspersonalitythanyou’dexpect.Therearevagueeditorialplanswrittenindryerasemarkeronthewindows,afewbagsofparmesancrackers,somecansoflentilsoup.AbulkboxofAmericanSpirits,acoffeemaker.An“ILovetoFart”mugandonepottedplant.Nothingabouttheenvironmentsuggeststhatthepeoplewhoworkheredoanythinginterestingwiththeirdays,andtheteamoffiveeditorsisareservedbunchwhosometimesstruggletoarticulatejustwhythey’redoingwhatthey’redoing. Caldwell,nowmanagingeditor,saysKnowYourMemewillbecome“increasinglyimportant,”andthatithas“avery,very,importantroletoplay.”Askedwhat,exactly,thatmeans,heneverquiteexplains. EverybodywhocurrentlyworksatKnowYourMemeendedupthereprettymuchthesameway:byaccident,orbecausetheyhadnothingbettertodo.BrianaMilman—currentlythesite’ssolefemaleeditor—wasunemployedandunhappy,spendingherdayspostingmemestoFacebook,whenshemetKimatabirthdaypartyandaddedhimasafriend.“IguessmyunemployedshitpostingonFacebooktoldhimImightberightforajobopeningatKnowYourMeme.MycopingmechanismbecamehowIgotajob,andpossiblyacareer,”shesays.“IneverreallythoughtmydumbpostswouldtellsomebodythatIhadaskillortalent…Inaweird,cheesyway,memessavedmylife.” BeingtheonlywomanatKnowYourMemedoesn’treallybotherMilman,whocallsherselfthe“mostcrassanddisgusting”memberoftheteam.Herfavoritememerightnowisthesatiricalclaimthat“peeisstoredintheballs,”andwhenIcallher,shejokesthatshethoughtaboutyelling“PEEISSTOREDINTHEBALLS”intothephoneandhangingup.Butit’snotablethatshe’sonlythefourthwomantoworkforthesitesinceTumblr’sAmandaBrennanstartedthereasaninterninthesummerof2010.AndthoughalloftheKnowYourMemeeditorscomeoffasdeeplydecentpeoplewiththebestintentions,it’snotidealthattheeditorialteamreportingtoKimisallwhiteandalmostallmale.“Havingafemalevoiceonthestaffisveryrare,”saysBrennan.“Andthestufftheycoverisstillverymale-centric,evenasinternetculturehaschanged.Itkindasucks.” MattSchimkowitz,AdamDowner. Likeherformerco-workers,BrennanhasahardtimearticulatingwhatKnowYourMeme’smissionstatementshouldbe.Herbackgroundwasininformationscience,andsheseesthesiteasalibrary.“Weweredocumentingthelocalculture,and...filteringitthroughaveryhistoricallens:Hereisthebeginning,hereiswhathappened,here’swhyithappened.”Thenshepauses,starts,andstopsafewtimes.“It’sbeenfiveyearssinceIworkedatKnowYourMeme,andIwouldnevertellthemhowtorunthesite…butthequestionofwhattocoverandhowtocoveritIthinkisnowmoreimportantthanever,inthefaceofhowmemeculturehaschangedinthelastfewyears.” Memesandpopculturegohand-in-handnow.Theydon’tsitinsubforumsandsubreddits;theycropupingroupchatsandonyourlocaldiner’sInstagramaccount.We’vecomealongwayfromlocalnewsstationsexplaining“allyourbasearebelongtous”asanewsensationsweepingtheweb,andbecausethepaceofexistenceonlinehasincreasedexponentially,we’veevencomealongwayfromHillaryClintonfeelingobligedtoexplainPepe.Thingsarechanging—4chanisn’tindexedonGoogleanymore,hoaxesandconspiraciesaren’tquitesofunny,andwe’reinsomethingofamoralpanicaboutthestateofalmostallofoursocialplatforms. Thereisfuntobehadwith“late-stageinternet,”sure—the“deep-friedmemes”aesthetic,forone,inwhichamemeisscreenshottedfromInstagramandrepostedsomanytimesthatitturnsintoapixelatedmess—butthere’salsoasimmeringcynicismatitscore.Shitposting—astyleofbloggingthatdeliberatelylayersin-jokeontopofin-jokeuntilthemeaningofthepostis“encrypted”tooutsiders,appearingoutwardlyasabunchofdumbnonsense—wasthesecond-most-popularmemetagonTumblrin2017. BrandonWink,themoderatorofReddit’sfakememestockmarket,sayswe’veenteredasecondgenerationofmemeculture:“Websitesofoldhaveeitherdiedorfadedtoobscurity.Newmemersneed[KnowYourMeme]as[a]resourcetoknowwhatragecomicswere,howlol-speakandimagemacroscametobe.” Whenthecurrentstafftalksabouttheirfavoritememes,they’remostlyinternetculturesalves,unexpectedmomentsofgraceorpurestupidity.“Ifyougivemeamemethatyourauntorunclesharesthat’snotracistorsomething,I’mprobablygoingtolikeit,”Schimkowitzsays.“Ifit’saboutdrinkingcoffee,likeaGarfieldmeme,thatIwouldlove.”WhenImetCaldwell,hewashavingagreatdayreadingupabouthowRobSheridan—oncethewebguruandgraphicdesignerforNineInchNails—claimedtohavekickedoffthedancingbabymemewithaGeocitiespagebackin1998. Follow@vergeonInstagram Followfororiginalphotography,videos,stop-motion,andInstagramStoriesfromTheVerge’sstaff. PhotobyAmeliaHolowatyKrales/TheVerge Milmanprefersstupid-funnyInstagrammemes;DownerlikesartfulTumblrcreationsthat“spreadnaturallyandhavenothingtodowithanything,”especiallytheLesMiserablesiterationonthe“SteamedHams”meme.Kimloveswholesomememes,whichhavetakenoverTumblrandbloomedinahugesubredditinthelastfewyears.Hecallsthemchickensoupforthesoul,andsays,“Ineedmydailydoseofwholesomememestobalanceoutallthecynicism.”Theysucceedbecausethey’remomentsofblazingsincerityandgoodwillamidthestreamsofirony,sarcasm,andbadfaith,sweetreprievesthatarepopularamongyoungpeoplewhogrewupontheinternetasking,“Howmanylayersofironyareyouon?”Theygaspoutalittleoptimismevenwhiledemonstratinganadvancedliteracyofirony. It’sthesamewinningcontrastthatpropelledthepopularityofLOLcats,astyleofimagemacrothatbecamepopularon4chanlongbeforeyourmomstartedsharingcatpicsonFacebook.“ThewholehumorvalueofLOLcatscamefrom[thefactthat]youhadthisendlessfeedofterriblethings,andthenyouseeacat,”Kimsays.Andthat’sthebummer,theslidewhistlethataccompaniesanydiscussionofonlineculturein2018.Mostgoodthingsontheinternetarehardtoevaluateontheirownterms:isthisonlygoodbecauseeverythingelseissobad?Canitbegoodifitneedsthebadthingstomakesense? Theelephantintheroomduringeveryconversationaboutmemeculturein2018is,ofcourse,the2016election—whenthegrossestmonstersof4chanandRedditcameoutfromunderthebedandbaffledthepublic—andGamergate,the2014harassmentcampaignthatprecededit.Majorplatformshavespentthelastseveralyearstryingtofigureouthowtobattleneo-Nazipoliticalaction,whichissomethingthatsoundssurrealnomatterhowmanytimesyouwriteitdown. AssociateeditorMattSchimkowitzremembershuntingdowntheoriginsofarecentmemethatshowsacarveeringoffanexitramponthreewheels,aseeminglyinnocuousimagethatblewupquicklybecauseyoucancaptionitwithbasicallyanything.Turnsout,itstartedonawhitenationalistwebsiteasananti-immigrationjoke.It’shardtoknowhowtofeelaboutthat,oraboutthereverse—say,whitesupremacists,co-optingaharmlessmemeandterrorizingthecountrywithitforoverayear. Thisunstablegameofhotpotato,inwhichmemesgetthrownbackandforthbetweensubculturesandthebroaderpublicandbacktonichecommunitiesandbackout—oftenchangingtheirmeaningalongtheway—isn’tnew,Kimargues.“Thewholecycleofsubculturegettingabsorbedintomainstreamandthensubvertingthemainstream,thatcyclehasalwaysbeenthere,waybeforeinternetmemes.” Butmemecultureisuniquelyscaryinsomecontexts.“Onemarkerthatsets[it]apartisitsfunctionalityinshapingpublicopinion,”Kimadmits.Hecomparesmemestopostmodernistart,amovementwiththeunderlyingmissiontocritiquesocietyandpolitics.“Buttheartworldisalsoanestablishedinstitution,whereasmemeculturebringszeroaccountability—ornear-zeroaccountability.”Insomeways,that’sgood;peoplecansharetheirpoliticalcommentaryinaformatthatislikelytospreadwithoutthehelpofpoliticalinstitutionsandwithouttyingitselftoanybroaderagenda. Butwehave,now,whatKimcalls“amemepresident,”whoissuchaprimeexampleof“trollbait”thathecan’tpassupevenoneopportunitytospoutinsanityorsparwiththemedia.“So,thatturnsintothisweirdindustrialcomplex.”Hissupportersdon’tdefendhimwithlogic,they’rejust“buildingamemecastlewithDonaldTrumpatthetop.” “Wedon’twanttofuckingcoveranymoreTrumpshit,”associateeditorAdamDownersays.“Theusershateit.Wehatedoingit,butwehavetodoit.” Memeculturebringszeroaccountability—ornear-zeroaccountability. That’sthejobnow!WhenTrump’sTwittertypo“covfefe”blewupinMay2017,itbecameatypeofshorthandinmemeculture—anin-jokeaboutthestateofmemes.They’remainstreamnow;they’reaboutTrumpwaymoreoftenthananyonewouldlike,butnoonecanstopit.Often,theonesthattakeoffaretrulynotevenalittlebitfunny(DownercitesTidePodsandCashMeOutsideasotherexamples),andwhoknowswhythat’shappeningeither? KimreadilyadmitsthatKnowYourMemecanfacilitatetheamoralityofmemeculture,andthespreadofideasthathemightnotpersonallywanttoseeflourish.Where,adecadeago,youwouldhavehadtocomb4chanyourselftofindsomeseedynewmeme(andprobablywouldnothavebothered),now,youcanfinditinaclean,searchabledatabaseandunderstanditwithinminutes—andperpetuateit,too,ifyouwant. “Reactionstomemesareabigpartofwhatmakesthempopularorcontroversial.Soignoringthemwouldbedisingenuous.” Schimkowitz,whoeventuallywantstodevotehiscareertocombatingracismandsexismontheinternetandhelpingthepublicunderstandthereal-worldconsequencesoflettingtheseenvironmentsstew,defendstheapproachofthesite.“Wetrytosharewhenpeopletakeoffensetoameme.Wetrytomakesurethat’salsonotedintheentry.Reactionstomemesareabigpartofwhatmakesthempopularorcontroversial.Soignoringthemwouldbedisingenuous.”Or,inthecaseoftherecentexplosionofTidePodmemes,whileKnowYourMemewon’tcomeoutandtellteenagersnottoeatpoisonouslaundrydetergent,they’llquoteTidesaying“don’teatpoisonouslaundrydetergent.” “Wearedoingatypeofpublicgoodtohelppeopleunderstandthelanguageoftheinternet,asitexists,atanygiventime,”headdsfirmly. Okay,sure.Isthatenough?Doeslayingoutthehistoryofamemeinalineartimelineactuallyhelppeopleunderstandwhyamemehappened?ThethemeKimcomesbacktooverandoveristheobjectivityofjournalism,buteventhemostpedanticallydisciplinedjournalistshavetomakechoicesaboutthefactstheyselectandthecontextinwhichtheypresentthem—stickyquestionstocontendwithinamediaenvironmentwheretrafficdrivescoverage,andthemoralorculturalimpactofeverythingfromexecutiontoframingtopromotionoftencomessecond.Inexcavatingtheonlinealt-rightlastyear,forexample,themediaoftenfellintoatrapofmakingtheviciousfringelookcool,edgy,weird,andalluring. Idon’twanttowriteableakhistoryofKnowYourMemeorofthelast10yearsontheinternet.Spectacularthingshavehappenedhere!Peoplelivehere.Kidsaretakingcareofeachotherandputtinghexesonthepresident.They’remakingartandpayingnothingtodoitandpullingoffelaboratejokesthatdon’thavetohurtanyone’sfeelingstoland.Imean,almostanyVinecompilationmakesmecry.“Memecultureisacreativeprocesswiththecreator’segotakenoutoftheequation,”Kimsays.“It’sathingwhereit’stheworkfirst,andtheartistismetadata.”Thatisbeautiful,inaway. Intryingtobealargelyimpartialreflectionofmemeculture,KnowYourMemehasavoidedaccountabilityforaslongastherestoftheinternethas:untilnow.Theirgoalforthenextyearistousetheirmassivedatabase—andthemetadatabehindit,thepageviewsandoverlappingtagsthathaveaccruedoveradecade—anduseittodo“culturalanalytics,sotospeak.”Kimrecognizesthattheirprojectneedstogofurther,andthat“explainingthingsatfacevaluedoesn’tcutitanymore.” “Ourmainfocusthisyearistoelevateourworktomemejournalism,sotospeak.” Kimsaysthatthestaffalsoplanstodomorebloggingandreportingwithopinionandanalysisthatcangivereadersmorein-depthcontextonmemes.“Ourmainfocusthisyearistoelevateourworktomemejournalism,sotospeak,”hesays.Eventually,hewantstoleaveKnowYourMemeandgointoactivismfull-time,inspiredbythewaythe2017Women’sMarchsucceededinrallyingpeopleviapre-existinginternetcommunities. Watchingthoseorganizerstrytoappealtoa“meme-friendlyaudience,”hesays,wasatippingpoint.“ThisridiculousmiscellaneouscollectionofmemesIlearnedabout[can]actuallycontributetosocietyonareallevel”—theyprovidebrightlycoloredcontainersforloveandhate,factsandmyth,eachasreadilyastheother. Memesaregreat;theycanserveasanemergencyresponsesystemthatdistributesquicklaughswhenitfeelslikeeverything’sfallingapart.Memesareterrible;theyfacilitatethespreadofinformationtornfromitssourceandrelievedofitsobligationtoevenseemcredible.KnowYourMemeisacruciallivingdocumentthatweabsolutelyneed,andthestoryittellsusabouttheinternetisendlesslyself-conflicting.Tostayrelevant,theeditorsatKnowYourMemecan’tcontinuetojustreflecttheinternetbackatitselfiftheywanttobelievethey’rehelping.Luckily,theyknowit. “Whatamemeis,isapeople-approvedidea,”Kimsays.“Ithinkforsociety,andalsoformyownmentalhealth,I’dfeelsatisfiedifIcouldactuallymakesomerealcontributions.” Correction:ApreviousversionofthisarticlestatedthatJamieWilkinsonbuilttheKnowYourMemedatabaseinasingleweekend,butthiswasincorrect.Weregrettheerror. 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