Such blog. Much Shenandoah. Wow.

If you are hip on the lingo you have probably encountered such syntax. If not, then I’d like to introduce you to Shibe Doge, the hottest meme in the ether. Memes, for the uninformed, are a mode of cultural imitation. In previous iterations, memes could be as simple as a hand gesture used in a friend-group. Modern usage of the term implies a certain level of technological involvement, i.e., the Internet meme. Imperative to the “memetic” genre, imitation functions as the most prevalent mode of transmission. A humorous photo or turn of phrase does not achieve honorary meme status until it can be applied to various situations in everyday life. Yet it sometimes seems like the current meme of choice is more like a soup du jour rather than a hearty entree. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it as it is placed in front of us.

Most memes find their beginnings on the sad corner of the Internet known as 4chan, where people are enabled by anonymity to post on various message boards and engage in discussion that is otherwise considered taboo. 4chan is where the rogue 4chan user finds a popular story or image and adopts it before posting it to their account on Reddit, another social media site. These websites can be considered cultural filters wherein memes have their origin, but are inspected for quality assurance purposes. At last an up-and-coming meme will find its way onto Tumblr where it will gain fame among the populace of adolescents who know their way around other social media forms such as Twitter, Facebook, and even Imgur. Once a meme reaches success on Tumblr, it is only a matter of time before the phrasing or the general idea of the meme becomes mainstream. This trickle-down process can last anywhere from a day to several months. Only when the meme achieves vocal imitation does it lose its momentum.

Memes feed the desire for instant gratification among the technologically obsessed generations currently rising to power. In the current day and age, we experience growth through our various obsessions with social media and by finding new and improved ways to communicate. This modern obsession makes me wonder about how we connect with literature. Perhaps memes are comparable to a past focus on poetry. For example, at an eighteenth-century party, whipping out Byron’s latest couplet would make you the most popular person in the room. In the same way, while reciting memes may be considered gauche in an everyday setting, we are expected to engage with them on an intellectual level. If a person lacks knowledge of the most recently popular meme, they are judged by others as nearly illiterate Luddites.

The Internet is almost a living entity. It shifts and changes every hour, every second, and to be a functioning member of society we are expected to keep up on the latest trending topics. Memes have surfaced as an easy way to participate in the quasi-literature of the Google age and this generation’s quest for self-discovery. It’s up to you to decide whether you are a Socially Awkward Penguin, Corporate Cat or whether you just suffer from First World Problems. Any way you go, memes will follow (and probably apply).

As a college student (an English major at that), I am frequently forced to read novels that I would not ordinarily choose.  Recently, I read Evelina by Fanny Burney, perhaps not a great monolith of literary style and skill, but a novel famous for its time and groundbreaking for pre-Austenian female novelists. Yet, as I made my journey through the novel I was at turns perplexed by certain references Burney made to her contemporary actors, novelists and poets. It dated her novel to the point that footnotes were utterly necessary and Google was always at the ready. It brought a question to my mind. Was the dated nature of Burney’s novel a contributing factor in its slow descent into obscurity?

How many pop culture references are too many? When addressing great literature that has stood the test of time, the answer is usually a resounding zero. When is it acceptable to reference something in literature? According to the classics, never (unless it’s Shakespeare). To be fair, there are other forms of reference, for example, famous poems. Beginning with the advent of the novel, 18^th-century writers worked under the assumption that readers were well-versed in a certain literary canon, ranging from Shakespeare to their poetic and literary contemporaries. The same cannot be said for the contemporary reader. Some Shakespearean references even go over my head, and I’m an English major who used to read Shakespeare recreationally. 

Moving into an era where information is transferred at lightning speed, and it seems like almost everyone gets their fifteen minutes of fame, what counts as fair game for a pop-culture reference? Perhaps “safe territory” is a better phrase.  As you undertake your great novel-writing experience, you have to think to yourself, “Will my reference to Keeping up with the Kardashians be pertinent in 50 to 100 years?”  Probably not. “Well if I can’t reference Kim and Kanye, then who can I reference?” This is the real question. What pop culture has garnered enough fame to be considered canon, or at least canon adjacent? I think there are three factors to consider: Fame, Years of Existence and Impact on Society.  If it has been famous for more than fifty years, it’s a pretty sure thing that your reader has heard of it, if only peripherally. But once you move into the last ten years, it becomes more difficult to make a prediction.

What things from the modern era will make into the next century of budding writings whose authors are itching to connect to their audience through hip references? Do you think people will understand your reference to the so called “Miley Cyrus haircut?” Or will such a fashion statement fade into the deep recesses of Google only to be mined by the truly determined researcher? For the sake of society, I hope for the latter, but it is impossible to know.  Take that risk. Put your money down. You can only hope that you have bet on the winner.