Memes have gained a central following in a key demographic of American society: the youth.
The phenomenon of these fast-spreading, relatable symbols ride upon the recent surge in social media, and as teenagers and young adults manage to connect with each other on a level more integrated than ever before, memes have garnered popularity on a national level, resulting in a plethora of content in 2016.
So without further ado, here lies a hall of fame of many of the year’s greatest figures.
2016 rang in with a new year but a classic favorite, as the “Dabbing Squidward” from the hit TV cartoon series Spongebob Squarepants originated from a viral Vine video in which a Universal Studios employee dabbed for a cheering crowd. February brought the “Just Right” meme from Disney’s animated film The Emperor’s New Groove (2000). To round out the colder months, March brought with it but a reckoning of things to come, as the infamous Barry Bee Benson of the Bee Movie would return in full force later in the year.
This April meme of Mr. Krabs, another character from Spongebob Squarepants, gained traction due to its great relatability in representing confusion and fear. May’s meme was popularized by Reddit, a popular social forum, and spread to Twitter and Tumblr, as “Dat Boi” came wheeling into the fray powered by nothing but its long frog legs and frog-sized unicycle. The “Caveman Spongebob” meme took over June, one that offered the same sort of confused, reactionary stance that the “Confused Mr. Krabs” picture did. This sort of linear progression fell apart completely afterwards, however.
The latter part of the summer of 2016 was completely decimated as social media platforms of all types were pummeled into submission by the one, and only: Harambe.
While the infamous (or famous, depending on your reverence for the beast) gorilla was killed in May, this is when the “RIP Harambe” mentality truly entered the minds of so many young Americans. Tens of thousands of Internet users mourned the death of the gorilla, going far in their rhetoric for the fallen titan.
It lasted, as you can see, during the “Arthur’s Fist” and “Rick Harrison” memes of July and August, which both can be simplified to their meanings of anger and frugality, respectively. The fall of 2016 was a meme-dry one, as various figures such as Ken Bone rose and fell in an instant.
November heralded the rise of “Hooded Kermit,” a meme meant to symbolize our inner thoughts, and whatever greedy, vain, or self-doubting feelings we might have. Of course, there were the obligatory political memes, ranging from Donald’s many faces to Hillary’s emails.
To end the year, Barry Bee Benson of the Bee Movie and Robbie Rotten of the children’s TV program Lazytown stormed the beaches of a receding politicized Internet and brought humorous nonsense back into frame. Hundreds of “Bee Movie But…” videos plagued (or blessed) Youtube, racking up millions of views, while Robbie Rotten won the “Meme of the Year” championship on Reddit.
While many of last year’s memes were presented in conversational, relatable contexts, such as “Caveman Spongebob” and “Arthur’s Fist,” others such as “Dat Boi” and Barry Bee Benson engage social media users with sheer ridiculousness and hilarity. It remains to be seen what’s in store for 2017’s memers, masters and novices alike, but if last year is any indication, the expanding meme market is something to invest in.
