Internet Memes

Internet memes are pieces of online content, such as captioned images, catchphrases, short videos or running jokes, that spread quickly as people share and remix them. The word "meme" was coined by the biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976 to describe ideas that pass from person to person like genes. In crypto, memes are a central part of community culture: slang such as HODL, images such as GigaChad and endless jokes about market swings help groups bond and spread their message. Memes have also become products. Dogecoin, launched in 2013 as a joke based on a popular image of a Shiba Inu dog, became one of the largest cryptocurrencies, and it inspired a wave of meme coins. Viral attention can push prices up quickly, but meme-driven assets often fall just as fast, and memes are used in promotions that hide risk.