Meme Investigator

Have you ever chuckled at a meme? People like to share these images paired with jokes on social media, in texts, and in chats. But you might not know when or where they became popular in the first place.

Don Caldwell is editor in chief at Know Your Meme (KYM), an online encyclopedia that seeks to record every meme on the internet. 

Have you ever laughed at a meme? Memes are images paired with jokes. People like to share them in texts and in chats. They also post them on social media. But you might not know when or where they became popular in the first place.

Don Caldwell is editor in chief at Know Your Meme (KYM). KYM is an online encyclopedia. The goal of the website is to record every meme on the internet.

Caldwell likes to think of KYM’s process as “digital archaeology.” Like scientists who unearth dinosaur bones, Caldwell and his team dig through social media to track memes.

First, they discover a meme. KYM staff pay close attention to what’s trending on social media to catch new memes right as they become popular. Site users can also submit memes for staff to review. 

Caldwell likes to think of KYM’s process as “digital archaeology.” Caldwell and his team dig through social media to track memes the way scientists unearth dinosaur bones.

The team first discovers a meme. KYM staff pay close attention to what’s trending on social media. They try to catch new memes right as they become popular. Users on KYM’s site can also submit memes for staff to review.

Next, Caldwell and his team track the meme back to its source. They sift through hundreds of social media posts until they discover the first time a certain image or phrasing was used. Then they track its spread—where and how frequently the meme was shared. All of that information gets condensed into an encyclopedia-like page that anyone can reference.

Caldwell and his team then track the meme back to its source. They sift through hundreds of social media posts. They try to discover the first time a certain image or phrasing was used. Then they track the meme’s spread. Spread means where and how frequently people shared the meme. All of the information the team finds gets shortened into a webpage. The page is similar to an encyclopedia entry. Anyone can access these final pages.

Most memes fizzle out soon after becoming popular. But Caldwell believes that memes are here to stay. “Memes can hit different perspectives than other forms of communication,” he says. “I feel like we’re just at the tip of the iceberg of what memes can be.”

Most memes die out soon after becoming popular. But Caldwell believes that memes are here to stay. “Memes can hit different perspectives than other forms of communication,” he says. “I feel like we’re just at the tip of the iceberg of what memes can be.”