[Hypothesis] Transformation of memes [Discuss!] (14)

1 Name: Anonymous : 2008-03-22 00:04 ID:rd+BZp8X [Del]

It seems that on some imageboard sites, certain memes have undergone a transition from a "memes as such" state, i.e. where delicious cake refers to the concept of the pastry, into a "general concept" state. When a meme becomes a general concept (such as cake, whether specified as especially delicious or not) it will have acquired a more general meaning besides the immediate dictionary sense(s).

That is to say, these days delicious cake does not refer to pastries anymore except in an archaic manner (which will certainly be subsequently exploited for humour).

2 Name: Anonymous : 2008-03-22 07:19 ID:Heaven [Del]

>>1 takes the internet way too seriously.

3 Name: Anonymous : 2008-03-22 07:49 ID:Heaven [Del]

>>2 doesn't realize that this board is all about taking the internet way too seriously.

4 Name: Anonymous : 2008-03-22 08:04 ID:rd+BZp8X [Del]

>>2
Come now, it's what this generation has for culture.

5 Name: Anonymous : 2008-03-22 08:05 ID:Heaven [Del]

I think it's interesting how "delicious cake" has branched off into several different sub-meanings: there's the literal "it is delicious cake, you must eat it" (and the more general "it is adjective noun, you must verb it" that derived from this); the MS Paint "puzzle" with dots representing "you" and "delicious cake", which intermingled with "the cake is a lie" from Portal after it came out; and thirdly, the abstract "cake" == "loli". I seem to have missed the birth of the third, but I imagine it started off as a transposition of "loli" for "cake" in one of the aforementioned puzzles, perhaps also inspired by that song from Lazy Town.

6 Name: Anonymous : 2008-03-22 08:06 ID:rd+BZp8X [Del]

Ah, it seems I forgot to mention how in the general sense, delicious cake now refers to anything that should be desirable to a person whose tastes are not altogether weird. "It is delicious cake, you must eat it" may be used even if there is no actual cake, or any reference to it; the meaning has passed into the metaphorical long ago.

7 Name: Anonymous : 2008-03-22 23:39 ID:Heaven [Del]

8 Name: Anonymous : 2008-03-23 21:47 ID:PDMuh1dq [Del]

>>5

I think the phrase actually started with something similar to the "cake = loli" meaning for the meme, "This is delicious cake, you must eat it." Two years ago, when I was researching what other people remembered about the creation of certain memes on 4chan, I came across one explanation. It originally came from a picture of a piece of cake photoshopped onto a man's penis. The text was edited to say, "This is delicious cake. You must eat it." He was talking to a female in the picture which I can't remember whether or not she was a loli.

Back in the spring of 2005 when I first started browsing 4chan, I remember that the Stephanie threads were mostly separate from the references to delicious cake. "Delicious cake" was still being used as something overtly sexual back then, even if it was actually about cake. The gif file of Stephanie "baking a pretty cake" eventually got connected to the delicious cake meme enough that it probably led to the "cake = loli" version. Without remembering the age of the female in the photoshopped image mentioned in the paragraph above, I can't be too certain of that, though.

>>7
I think that pretty much sums up my feelings on those foods.

9 Name: Anonymous : 2008-03-24 20:40 ID:Heaven [Del]

> I can't remember whether or not she was a loli.

Only the face is visible. No loli, no man.
http://kei.iichan.net/sand/res/1393.html

10 Name: Anonymous : 2008-04-28 14:35 ID:MTZ7B1Qr [Del]

The development of Sparta meme was entertaining and educating. First the various caps of Leonidas yelling "Tonight we dine in Hell!", that were still essentially a reference to the upcomig movie. Then the variations and shoops on Leonidas, such as "I forgot where we dine tonight" and "Hello Hell restaurant, I'd like a reservation for 300", and finally just Leonidas' face shooped to whatnot, which essentially isn't a reference to the movie anymore, but to the concept of Leonidas yelling.

I wonder if this is pattern that's applicable to the development of other memes as well?

11 Name: Anonymous : 2008-05-02 20:23 ID:Heaven [Del]

>>10
Educating?

I would say most memes deviate from their source as time progresses.

12 Post deleted by moderator.

13 Post deleted by moderator.

14 Post deleted by moderator.

Name: Link:
Leave these fields empty (spam trap):
More options...
Verification: