Background+Research

__**Background Research**__

__The Lying Down Game - []__  After viewing several videos on knowyourmeme.com, I was particularly interested in the Lying Down game because it was a meme that I was unfamiliar with and I was surprised as to how popular it is. The “Lying Down Game” is an odd yet increasingly popular meme that was introduced in 2006 by two friends, Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon. These two created a Facebook group explaining the simple rules of the game to its participants. In this game, people are required to lie down facing the ground in public and have a picture taken and then post it on the Internet. The Facebook group attracted more than 1500 users in the first two weeks and 99, 000 users today. This group has also received over 19,000 image submissions of people lying face down in public places. Though this idea is very strange, it attracted thousands of people all around the world because the photographs were humorous since they would be taken in unexpected places such as the sidewalk, outside an elevator, etc.

__Om Nom Nom Nom - []__  “Om Nom Nom Nom” is a slang term which refers to someone eating or chewing on something. This term is assumed to be originated from Sesame Street because Cookie Monster would make this noise while eating. This expression is very popular in LOLcats and other images that show something eating; it usually portrays that the food is very delicious or when the chewing is supposed to be emphasized. This phrase is mimetic because it is the first expression that represents eating; similar to “thud” or “ouch” or “pow”, this onomatopoeia allows people to demonstrate eating. The meme has become so popular that when it is used, it automatically creates a craving for the viewer; for example, bake sale posters that were placed around Sheridan campus contained this expression in it and made my mouth water. It is an effective mimetic expression.

__Rick Rolling - []__  In this internet meme, a hyperlink is provided to the viewer but when the person clicks on the link, instead of the real link showing up, the music video “Never gonna give you up” by Rick Astley appears. This 1987 video appears as a surprise to the viewer because they are expecting to see something else. When the viewer clicks the link and realizes that it is not the real video, they are said to have been “rickrolled”. This is mimetic because it is humorous and it has been done repeatedly by a lot of people. Furthermore, it has even been extended to the degree of playing in public places as an embarrassing or disruptive song. This meme is humorous because it tricks people.