Know Your Meme

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Know Your Meme
Web address knowyourmeme.com
Type of site Encyclopedia
Registration Optional
Available language(s) English
Owner Cheezburger
Created by Rocketboom
Launched 2008
Current status Online
Know Your Meme
Genre Internet documentary
Starring Joanne Colan (Former)
Kenyatta Cheese (Yatta) (Former)
Greg Leuch (Former)
Elspeth Jane Rountree (Ellie) (Former)
Jamie Wilkinson (Former)
Patrick Davidson (Former)
Mike Rugnetta (Former)
Kristina Horner (Former)
Forest Gibson (Current)
Sarah Hiraki (Current)
Alison Luhrs (Current)
Rob Whitehead (Current)
Country of origin United States of America
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 62
Production
Running time Varies
Production company(s) Rocketboom (2007-2011), Cheezburger Network (2011-)
Broadcast
Original airing December 17, 2007
Jamie Wilkinson and Kenyatta Cheese at ROFLCon II

Know Your Meme is a web site and video series which uses wiki software to document various Internet memes and other online phenomena, such as viral videos, image macros, catchphrases, web celebs and more. It also investigates new and changing memes through research, as it commercializes on the culture. Originally produced by Rocketboom, the website was acquired in March 2011 by Cheezburger Network. Know Your Meme includes sections for confirmed, submitted, deadpooled (rejected), researching and popular memes.

Website

The Know Your Meme project started in September, 2007 as a reoccurring segment inside of the Rocketboom video series and a wiki destination site to support the documentation of internet memes. Created by Kenyatta Cheese and Andrew Baron, "meme experts" in white lab coats use a scientific laboratory metaphor for analyzing and deconstructing the top memes of the day, while anyone with an account can use the website to explore and contribute meme research. After more than a year of growth, at the end of 2008, Rocketboom released an expanded database with Jamie Wilkinson as the lead developer.[1] As of December 2012, the database contained more than 1300 entries that are "confirmed" memes.[2]

The administrators have say over what gets confirmed and what gets "Deadpooled" or rejected.[3] Some of the meme entries are graphic and Not Safe For Work.[4] NSFW entries are given warnings and ads are usually disabled. These warning may differ from consequences, such as bans. Know Your Meme also has a forum section, along with a blog and a shop. Dr. Sean Rintel, who writes The Automated Identity blog, describes Know Your Meme as “lucrative, self-supporting research that blends the humorous and the serious.” [5] As of December 2012, the site consists of three content-based staff members (Brad Kim, Don Caldwell and Amanda Brennan) and one developer (James Wu).[6]

The Know Your Meme web site and web series were acquired in March 2011 by Cheezburger Network for an undisclosed seven-figure amount.[7]

Episodes

Episodes of the Know Your Meme show average a few minutes in length. In a given episode, the KYM staff describes memes and the history behind them. New episodes appear sporadically. Starting in 2010, breaking meme episodes have begun. Separated in seasons, the videos are set to describe what the meme is using handy images.

Season 2007

Episode Meme Covered Airdate
1 One Take December 17, 2007
2 The Rickroll December 18, 2007
3 I Like Turtles December 19, 2007
4 Miss Teen South Carolina December 20, 2007
5 LOLCats December 21, 2007
6 Technoviking December 24, 2007
7 Dramatic Chipmunk December 26, 2007
8 Reaction Videos & Piggyback Memes December 27, 2007
9 Tay Zonday December 28, 2007
10 Crank That (Soulja Boy) December 31, 2007

Season 2008

Episode Meme Covered Airdate
1 Cory's Sunglasses February 6, 2008
2 tinaecmusic August 1, 2008
3 All Your Base August 15, 2008
4 Edgar's fall September 5, 2008
5 O RLY? September 10, 2008
6 FAIL September 24, 2008
7 Boom Goes the Dynamite December 22, 2008
8 The Iraqi Shoe Toss December 23, 2008
9 Magibon December 24, 2008
10 The Lipdub December 26, 2008
11 Disaster Girl December 29, 2008
12 Political Memes of 2008 December 30, 2008
13 Project Chanology December 31, 2008
14 Shiba Inu Puppy Cam December 31, 2008

Season 2009

Episode Meme Covered Airdate
1 Star Wars Kid January 2, 2009
2 Boxxy March 10, 2009
3 Numa Numa March 31, 2009
4 Yo Dawg April 13, 2009
5 Christian Bale Rant April 16, 2009
6 Single Serving Sites April 23, 2009
7 Peanut Butter Jelly Time May 8, 2009
8 Creepy Chan May 28, 2009
9 Keyboard Cat July 7, 2009
10 Three Wolf Moon July 30, 2009
11 Weegee August 7, 2009
12 Bubb Rubb August 17, 2009
13 David After Dentist September 2, 2009
14 Geddan / Get Down October 1, 2009
15 Where the Hell Is Matt? October 8, 2009
16 Auto Tune (with special guest "Weird Al" Yankovic) November 10, 2009
17 Balloon Boy November 18, 2009
18 Om Nom Nom December 18, 2009

Season 2010

Episode Subject Airdate
1 Advice Dog January 29, 2010
2 Phonetic Translations March 4, 2010
3 Epic Beard Man April 6, 2010
4 Joseph Ducreux / Archaic Rap April 13, 2010
5 Breaking Meme: Standing Cat April 23, 2010
6 Breaking Meme: The Downfall of Downfall? April 29, 2010
7 My New Haircut May 25, 2010
8 Magnets, How Do They Work? June 12, 2010
9 Troll Bait July 1, 2010
10 Breaking Meme: Double Rainbow July 9, 2010
11 Lying Down Game / Playing Dead August 3, 2010
12 Antoine Dodson (Bed Intruder) August 27, 2010
13 Leeroy Jenkins September 2, 2010
14 Over 9000! October 1, 2010
15 Brother Sharp October 12, 2010
16 Creepypasta October 29, 2010
17 Tenso November 16, 2010
18 GI Joe PSAs November 23, 2010

Season 2011

Beginning with the 2011 season, the cast of the episodes changed from the original cast (Jamie, Yatta, Elspethjane, Patrick Davison and Mike Rugnetta) to Forest Gibson and Kristina Horner.

Episode Subject Airdate
1 Rage Comics June 14, 2011
2 Philosoraptor July 6, 2011
3 My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic August 10, 2011
4 Breaking Meme: Chuck Testa September 29, 2011
5 Hipster Memes October 11, 2011
6 Occupy Wall Street October 18, 2011
7 Minecraft November 2, 2011
8 60's Spider-man November 15, 2011
9 Pedobear November 22, 2011
10 Casually Pepper Spray Everything Cop October 18, 2011
11 Skyrim Catchphrases December 15, 2011
12 First World Problems December 22, 2011

Season 2012

Kristina Horner left the show in early 2012 and starting with the Ermahgerd episode in August 2012, the cast of internet scientists expanded to Forest Gibson, Sarah Hiraki, Alison Luhrs and Rob Whitehead.

Episode Subject Airdate
1 Supercuts January 12, 2012
2 Protest PIPA/SOPA January 18, 2012
3 Friend-Zoned January 26, 2012
4 Shit People Say February 3, 2012
5 Guile's Theme Goes With Everything February 10, 2012
6 The Cinnamon Challenge February 17, 2012
7 What People Think I Do March 12, 2012
8 Derp March 19, 2012
9 Slender Man March 27, 2012
10 Nyan Cat April 3, 2012
11 Ancient Aliens April 10, 2012
12 Socially Awkward Penguin April 17, 2012
13 Ridiculously Photogenic Guy April 28, 2012
14 Scumbag Steve May 10, 2012
15 Dolan May 29, 2012
16 Ermahgerd August 9, 2012
17 Girl's Guide to the Internet August 17, 2012
18 Futurama August 23, 2012
19 Homestuck September 7, 2012
20 That Really Rustled My Jimmies September 14, 2012
21 Fanfiction September 22, 2012
22 Troll Science September 28, 2012
23 Intro to Pokémon Memes (Part I) October 10, 2012
24 Intro to Pokemon Memes (Part II) October 24, 2012

Special episodes

Episode Subject Airdate
N/A The Game Show! Pwn, Win, or Fail! March 25, 2009
N/A KYM Meme Week: Geddan / Get Down December 21, 2009
N/A KYM Meme Week: Yo Dawg December 22, 2009
N/A KYM Meme Week: Auto Tune December 23, 2009
N/A KYM Meme Week: Boxxy December 24, 2009
N/A KYM Meme Week: Keyboard Cat December 26, 2009

Reception

  • TIME magazine selected Know Your Meme among the 50 Best Websites of 2009.[8]
  • New York Times Lens Blog listed "Know Your Meme Autotune Episode" as a must-see video on November 28, 2009.[9]
  • In late 2009, The Winnipeg Free Press called Know Your Meme the best website of 2009.[10]
  • On December 26, 2009 NPR interviewed Kenyatta Cheese of Know Your Meme on the subject of internet memes.[11]
  • Wired.com mentioned Know Your Meme in an article about Autotune.[12]
  • The Wall Street Journal's website cited KnowYourMeme.com when discussing the trend of the Bra Color Status Updates on Facebook.[13]
  • MSNBC cited Know Your Meme on the subject of Balloon Boy and called the article "meticulously recorded".[14]
  • Know Your Meme won a Streamy Award in 2010 for Best Guest Star in a Web Series. The site was also nominated for Best Hosted Web Series but didn't win.
  • In May 2012, Know Your Meme won the People's Voice Webby Award for Blog-Cultural.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The History of Know Your Meme". Dembot. 2012-12-06. Retrieved 2013-10-19. 
  2. ↑ "Confirmed Entries". Know Your Meme. Retrieved 2013-10-19. 
  3. ↑ "Deadpooled Entries". Know Your Meme. Retrieved 2013-10-19. 
  4. ↑ "NSFW". Know Your Meme. 2012-06-17. Retrieved 2013-10-19. 
  5. ↑ Rintel, Sean (2011-09-24). "Know Your Meme « Sean Rintel". Seanrintel.com. Retrieved 2013-10-19. 
  6. ↑ "About". Know Your Meme. Retrieved 2013-10-19. 
  7. ↑ Hustvedt, Marc. "‘Know Your Meme’ Acquired By Cheezburger in Seven-Figure Deal". Tubefilter News. Retrieved 28 March 2011. 
  8. ↑ Fisher, Adam (2009-08-24). "Know Your Meme - 50 Best Websites 2009". TIME. Retrieved 2013-10-19. 
  9. ↑ Olsen, Erik; Bracken, Kassie (November 13, 2009). "Must See: Pakistan's Anti-Yankee Rock". The New York Times. 
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ "Internet Memes Spread Viral Amusement". NPR. 2009-12-26. Retrieved 2013-10-19. 
  12. ↑ Thill, Scott (November 16, 2009). "Will Auto-Tune Die? Ask Know Your Meme and ‘Weird Al’ – Underwire – Wired.com". Wired. 
  13. ↑ Valentino-DeVries, Jennifer (January 11, 2010). "The Mystery of the Facebook Bra-Color Meme". The Wall Street Journal. 
  14. ↑ "'Ima let you finish' — top Net memes of '09 - Technology & science - Tech and gadgets - Technotica | NBC News". MSNBC. 2009-12-30. Retrieved 2013-10-19. 
  15. ↑ Paul, Sonia (May 1, 2012). "16th Annual Webby Award Winners: The Complete List". Mashable. 

Further reading

External links

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