Introduction- 10/31/26

Memes!

So far I have done two of these ongoing blog series on topics very near and dear to my heart (Yes, Adam Sandler is very near and dear to me, shut up!). I had some real troubles trying to think of what I wanted my next ongoing blog to be about. I wanted to do something separate from the topics of movies and geography since I'm trying to keep my content varied and fresh. Don't worry, I definitely have more ideas for both of these subjects in the future. So what could I possibly do to fill the month of November?

I got thinking about my greatest hobbies and what I spend the most time doing. Should I do something about video games? Well, with me being in Montana and Japan for the last 6 months, I've barely had anytime to play at all, so I think that is out of the picture for the moment. Maybe I could do something music related? But, writing about music has never really spoken to me that much. Plus I have ideas for some musical content coming up soon that I hope you look forward to! Politics? Mmmm, I think I much prefer making occasional content on that instead of making it my whole life for another month.

Then I had an epiphany. I, just like almost everyone else, spend so much time on the internet every day. And you know what I have a passion for that's online? That's right, memes!

You know, the internet seems to be in a place where it continues to get more and more toxic. For something that was originally intended to make all our lives better, it sure doesn't feel like it anymore. I've even had thoughts that maybe the world would be a better place today if the internet was never invented. Constant misinformation, nonstop content designed to do nothing but make us addicted to our devices, gambling in the palm of your hand, and of course the ungodly amount of AI slop that pollutes all of our feeds making us not know what was made by a warm body or not.

But outside of all that garbage, the greatest thing about the internet has always been that it can connect us. We no longer have to be in the same city, state, or country to talk to anyone we want to. The fact that I can still keep in consistent contact with my family and friends from all the way across the world as I write this is incredible. And to me, the ultimate invention of connection that the internet has provided us with are memes.

And now here comes the tricky part. What is a meme?

For those of us who are terminally online, it's not really a question. Something just is a meme. But to those who don't watch hours of Youtube or TikTok a day, it can definitely be a bit difficult to understand what they are. And I know that first hand because my brother and I have spent hours trying to explain what they are to our mom, and I still don't know if we ever got the job done.

Honestly, Wikipedia does a much better job explaining what a meme is than what I could ever do: "An Internet meme, or meme is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, now primarily through social media platforms. Internet memes manifest in a variety of formats, including images, videos (e.g. GIFs), and other viral content." I'd highly recommend reading the article here for anyone wanting to have a little more clarity on the term, or those who want to learn about the history. That is not the primary point of this blog series. 

The point of this blog series is to highlight my favorites from across the history of the internet. With how quickly most memes come and go, so many get lost to time and are never thought of again, despite the legitimate laughs they gave us for a few weeks or months. I want to make a list of my 30 favorite memes that should never be forgotten and should continue to be enjoyed today.

So what am I qualifying for this list. I wanted to go broad for this list focusing more on meme topics than individual memes. As an example I wouldn't count a specific Grumpy Cat meme, I would instead highlight Grumpy Cat memes as a whole. I think there are also questions to be had on what should count on my list, so I want to make sure that the meme topics have multiple examples I can point to. I also want to make sure they were at least somewhat popular. Not gonna be as fun for everyone if everything I pick is incredibly niche.

Some caveats for my list. First, this will be heavily opinionated and will focus on the memes that I personally like. This is not supposed to be definitive list or anything. Despite my best efforts to highlight as many meme genres and eras, the memes will likely be skewed more towards videos and the times that I have been on the internet. There also won't be as many new memes, because I think the good content now gets diluted with so much fake slop that it's hard to find. It doesn't mean they aren't there, it just means I can't find them as easily.

Second, this list is in no particular order, I'm not trying to explain why the last meme I write about is better than the first.

Lastly, I chose 30 because it felt like a good round number, and that's how many days are in November. That means that thousands of memes will not be included. If you have some that you think should be included, please say so in the comments! Since this isn't a ranking, that always leaves the door open for doing this a second time. Also, let's just say this is a series that continues to be in the making, so maybe some of your suggestions will be featured!

Now that all that is out of the way, on to our first meme which will be featured tomorrow! Hope you are ready to reminisce, laugh, learn, and, maybe, even cry.