Writing Prompt: Define the Term ‘Meme’ within Pop Culture

Week #2 – The emerging trends of pop culture

Following the emerging trends of pop culture is a fun thing to do. So many people do it as a pastime while others do it as a profession, turning their observations into eloquent blog posts. If you’re a curious person like me and you notice things over time, eventually, you’ll learn about the intense popularity of memes and understand how they relate to emerging trends. Your job is to define the term “meme” within pop culture.

Creative Idea Gal’s Thoughts

One more benefit of using Twitter is learning about memes – – the fact that they exist and several hilarious examples of memes. I first learned about memes around a year ago. I was researching something and happened to find a silly picture of a cartoon man with a moon-shaped face. He had stick arms that were raised and he was complaining about something. There was something about that simple cartoon that captivated me and I never forgot it.

Would you believe that cartoon guy became so popular that it turned into a meme? That is exactly the kind of thing that happens in pop culture. Someone invents an original idea (ahem, like yours truly), posts it somewhere, and gets others to repost it. That reposting of an original idea is often called sharing or virality in social media. When you see the same memes over and over, that’s a pretty good sign of emerging trends.

Tips on How to Spark Creativity in Writing

• Tip #4 – Pay attention to Internet memes

It is easy to get bombarded with silliness when using social media. Too much silliness can discourage people from using social media in the first place, but I encourage you to have patience and stick it out. Some of that silliness may come through as Internet memes that people frequently share, but I assure you, there is some substantive juice you can get from it.

Remember, Internet memes are a sign of the times. They exist because someone originated an idea. What was the idea? What inspired someone to share it? Why did an idea turn into a meme? These are all good questions to ask when coming across an Internet meme that seems silly or funny. A great way to jumpstart writing, in my opinion.

Emerging Trends on Twitter

Here is a sampling of yesterday’s emerging trends based on Twitter hashtags:

• #moviemashups (Combining movie titles to make a fictitious new title)
• #PerksofDatingMe (Personal reflections on what it’s like to date people)
• #Robbie Deans (Australian rugby coach who was just fired)
• #Twitpic YourDMApproach (confusing – is this sexual or just a way to get users to direct message each other?)

Writing Prompt 079

Prompt: Define the term ‘meme’ within pop culture.

• Step 1: Pop culture memes are different that Internet memes. Can you describe those differences?
• Step 2: Pop culture is a rapidly changing animal, just like the Internet. Its memes offer clues to emerging trends. What can you learn from pop culture memes?
• Step 3: Define the term “meme” within the context of pop culture. Offer examples of pop culture memes and explain how these memes are different than others.

Please be sure to leave comments about this writing prompt. We want to hear from you!

About the Author

Amanda M. Socci is the creator of this unique 10-month training program providing writing prompts to nonfiction writers. Amanda is a diehard creative and an aspiring book author, currently blogging a book on faith, A Slice of Faith, on a community website. Visit Amanda’s blog. Follow Amanda on her journey to book publication. Like A Slice of Faith on Facebook.