Campus Blog: BYU memes, what do they mean?

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“Have you seen the BYU memes page on Facebook?”

This is a question many of us have heard the past few days in class, from our friends, or just sitting somewhere on campus. The Facebook page was created two days ago by Ryan Cottrell and Nathan Turner. Since then, it has acquired 2,484 ‘likes’. However, that number will probably increase significantly by the time I finish this blog post.

A meme is “an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.” Richard Dawkins first coined the term “meme” in his book The Selfish Gene in 1976.

Cottrell and Turner took the popular ‘meme themes’ and began catering them to the BYU audience. The idea then caught fire, just as a meme should, and others began making their own BYU memes. The page has exploded into an online forum of Mormon and BYU culture parodies, which are sure to entertain anyone familiar with the Mormon culture.

The page is so interactive in fact, that certain people have begun to accuse others of not using memes correctly. Jordan Hanzon has been deemed the “meme police” by others and has even found himself to be the subject of certain memes.

Whether or not everyone can make a “correct” meme, one thing is certain: BYU memes are entertaining. They play off of our quirky culture, make us laugh, and often hit home just a little too well. Bravo Cottrell and Turner for finding another medium through which we can lightheartedly make fun of our surroundings.

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