Weekly Poll Result 2 - Image/Video Dominated

Link to Us: http://snipr.com/weeklypoll2

When you are watching television/video or looking at an image, what catches your attention most? The image, video, the caption or sub titles? Most likely it will be the image or video because human beings tend to pay more attention to graphics than text. And that was reflected in the result of our last week's poll where we asked the respondents - "What do you like about an Internet Meme?".

The result shows that fifty-eight percent of the respondents preferred the image or video more in an Internet Meme. This could be due to the fact that they have seen or came across hilarious or funny images or videos recently. And we are pretty sure that some of the Internet Meme like the Oolong the Rabbit or Om Nom Nom Nom have played a part in this result.

Unfortunately, most of the respondents disliked Internet Meme as twenty one percent of them chose that option. Judging from that result, it shows that they perhaps have no interests in Internet Meme or they could have gone through the Internet Meme but none of it "succeeded" in attracting the voters.

The next result is a little more encouraging as fourteen percent of the respondents like the caption in an Internet Meme. When someone likes the caption more than the images or videos, it could be because the words phrasing are hilarious or maybe the caption is just too catchy for the voters to avoid laughing at it.

Finally, the remaining seven percent of the respondents chose the option "Both". In other words, they like both the images or videos and caption. A great combination of a funny image or video with a good caption will certainly catch the attention of Internet users and make them laugh all the way. The Lolcats Internet Meme is a good example of this.

In the end, we can conclude that most of the respondents like Internet Meme particularly the image or video but what about those that dislike Internet Meme? We would you like to hear your opinion on this. And what do you think of this week's poll result? Do share your opinion with us.


Jason

Babies Got Some Skills

Link to Us: http://snipr.com/babiesskills

We all heard of the phrase, "Dance like there's no tomorrow". That phrase was used backed in the 80s where disco was the so-called in-thing. Till today, people are still using this phrase to describe almost anything. For example, "Eat like there's no tomorrow" or "Laugh like there's no tomorrow". The next internet meme, like the phrase itself, was an old hit that regained its fame in the new century. The Dancing Baby or also known as Baby Cha Cha was an internet phenomenon back in the 90s. It is an animated 3D baby, wearing only white diapers, dancing and also break-dancing.

"...is a short 3D animation of a baby dancing..."
(Know Your Meme, 2009)


Download 3D Disco Baby, Brothersoft [Image Online], Retrieved 28th January 2010.
URL: http://www.brothersoft.com/3d-disco-baby-68361.html

Like other internet meme, Dancing Baby became a popular short video with the help of e-mail chains. Some people find it offensive while some find it hilarious. It even made a television debut on "Ally McBeal" as part of Ally's hallucination.

Forward to 2010, after more than a decade, Dancing Baby is back and this time, it is not in 3D but instead, real-life. However, this time, Dancing Baby is not spread through e-mails; it is spread through YouTube videos.

Beyonce's famous hit song, Single Ladies topped charts across the world but these babies took over the YouTube charts instead. What the babies were doing was dancing to the song Single Ladies and somehow, their parents' video recorded them. From a funny home video to an internet phenomenon, parents after parents posted up videos of their child dancing to Beyonce's Single Ladies. It has now become like a competition. YouTube users would comment on the video whether critisizing or praising. The baby would actually try to mimic the exact dance moves from the original Single Ladies music video. It sounds quite adorable and to actually watch the baby dancing is very hilarious. We guess that is one way to gain fame at an early age.

201Karin, Baby Dancing to Beyonce, YouTube [Online], Retrieved 27th January 2010.
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXMy8_26c3U


23sevak23, Baby Dancing - Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) Official, YouTube [Online], Retrieved 27th January 2010.
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk42wSXXGq8

Approximately 4,000 videos were uploaded on YouTube, almost all featuring a baby and Single Ladies song. If you were to search "Baby dancing to Beyonce", you may see videos of grown men doing the same thing as the babies - white diapers and Single Ladies being played in the background. It may be something like a parody of this internet meme. Imagine an ordinary home video, becoming so famous that people actually feel worth making a parody out of it?

Is it a natural talent by the young infants? Or was it a fake where the parents taught them in advance? And is it even an ethical thing for the kids to watch a leotard-dressed female dancing?

References:
1. I Awesome, Dancing Baby, Know Your Meme [Online] Retrieved on 27th January 2010.
URL: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/dancing-baby

2. Barb Dybwad, Baby Dancing to Single Ladies:No Really, The Greatest Video of All Time!, Mashable [Online] Retrieved on 27th January 2010.
URL: http://mashable.com/2009/09/24/baby-dancing-to-single-ladies/


Cheers!

Vivienne

Show Me Your Face

Link to Us: http://snipr.com/showmeyourface

Pokemon, short for Pocket Monster is a famous anime series in the world and they have a legion of fans around the world ranging from children to parents. Why? It is because of the exciting and interesting story of Ash - the main character and his favorite Pokemon - Pikachu. Pokemon was created by Satoshi Taijri and owned by the video game company Nintendo. The first Pokemon anime series was released in 1995 and since then, many other products of Pokemon was developed such as Trading Card Games and Adventure Games. Most of you will probably know that Pikachu is the most famous Pokemon but actually, there is another well known Pokemon and that is Squirtle.

Logan Zezima, Give Squirtle a Face, Know Your Meme [Online], Retrieved on 18th January 2010.
URL: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/give-squirtle-a-face

In 2008, the face of Pikachu was taken by an Internet user and being edited by putting some funny faces on its body and it was posted on the Internet. Surprisingly, it turned into an Internet Meme in a short time because of Pikachu's popularity. In Pokemon, Pikachu is the main character and that is why usually Pikachu is being promoted everywhere and thus making it more popular than any other Pokemon, causing the picture of Squirtle to go unnoticed most of the time despite it being a well known Pokemon.

Three weeks ago on January 8 2010, another Internet user took the face of Squirtle just like what happened to Pickachu and created a thread named "Give Squirtle a Face". Unfortunately, it did not work. Well, at least for a day because on the next day, an Internet user by the name of Little Washu posted the same thing in a thread section and inviting other users to "Have At It! Give Him a Face!". This time however, it worked!

Logan Zezima, Give Squirtle a Face, Know Your Meme [Online], Retrieved on 18th January 2010.
URL: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/give-squirtle-a-face

Most Internet users thought that this Internet Meme was created by Little Washu but little do they know that it was actually created by someone else. However, because of Little Washu, this Internet Meme became very popular. This applies to our life as well. Opportunity waits for no one but rather, it is something to be achieved. If we want to achieve success, we must take the opportunity when it is presented to us as waiting will bring a naught. Also, we must be hard working and do our utmost to achieve our dream. So people, Go For It!


Reference:
1. Logan Zezima, Give Squirtle a Face, Know Your Meme [Online] Retrieved on 18th January 2010.
URL: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/give-squirtle-a-face

2. Matt Swider, The Pokemon Series Pokedex (Special), Gaming Target [Online] Retrieved on 18th January 2010.
URL: http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=6531


Advin

Cell Phone Pops Popcorn

Link to Us: http://snipr.com/cell-phone-popcorn

People make popcorn with a popcorn machine right? But have you seen someone making popcorn using cell phones? Most likely not unless if you have came across this Internet Meme before. This Internet Meme drew the attention of many Internet users on Youtube in 2008 where three people gathered and used their cell phones to make popcorns by calling their own numbers, leading people to think it was caused by the heat from the cellular transmission.

craigski14, How to cook popcorn with your mobile, Youtube [Online], Retrieved on 22nd January 2010.
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-m0M7pihiE&feature=player_embedded

In the space of a week, the video hits the one million mark and people started to upload similar videos and parodies on Youtube. And some tried the same trick while others began to wonder whether those videos are actually a hoax. Is it surprising? Perhaps not because how can anyone make popcorns with just a mere heat from the cell phone? If it can do that, our heads will be gone by now! The truth was then revealed and it was actually just a part of a viral marketing campaign launched by Carlo Wireless, a US-Based Bluetooth technology company. Find out more by clicking here.

MontyMetzger, How to reach 18 million people with a viral video, Youtube [Online], Retrieved on 22nd January 2010.
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APxUKP106Hk&feature=player_embedded

Despite it being a hoax, it is somewhat interesting if we can actually use cell phones to make popcorns. We would be able to enjoy watching movies at home if the technology allows us to make popcorns that easy without the need to use the machine or any apparatus. And speaking of apparatus, someone actually suffered a casualty by making popcorns with a cell phone as well as the apparatus mentioned in the above link.

nakkodotcom, iPhone - popcorn reflects radiation, Youtube [Online], Retrieved on 22nd January 2010.
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_KFQqmhGq8&feature=player_embedded

Due to the heating element, his cell phone exploded instead of the popcorn and it wasn't just any cell phone, it was an IPhone! But that guy doesn't seem to care, does he? Anyway, if you actually believe this whole thing the first time you see it, then you might have to go and make an appointment with a neurologist.

So, what do you think about this Internet Meme? Interesting? Lame? Could be better? Share your ideas and comments here.

Reference:
Brad Kim, Popping Popcorns with Cell Phones, Know Your Meme [Online] Retrieved on 22nd January 2010.
URL: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/popping-popcorns-with-cellphones


Jason

Weekly Poll Result 1 - It’s a tie.

Link to Us: http://snipr.com/weeklypoll1

A week ago, we asked the blog readers what is their most memorable Internet Meme in our weekly poll. And the results are in. Looks like most of you find "This is Sparta!!!" meme memorable with 27.8% of votes. "This is Sparta" may sound familiar to some because it came from one of the blockbuster movie, 300. This famous quote came from the movie is This is Sparta!!!. Soon, internet users started to annoy people with the same quote. The reason why people find this meme memorable is may be because of the catchy phrase.

The next Internet Meme is unfortunately, none of the given choices but had the same percentage as "This is Sparta!!!" meme. Some of the voters find other Internet Meme much more memorable than the given choice. We would like our voters to share their memorable Internet Meme here if possible.

Looks like no one voted for poor O Rly Owl with zero votes. Maybe because some have not heard of this little owl? Quite similar to LOLCats, O Rly Owl is a picture of a white owl with the phrase, "O Rly" on it. It basically means "Oh really?" in a sarcastic way. We would introduce to our readers what O Rly Owl is in one of our future post.

It seems like the meow was not loud enough as LOLCats came in second with 22.2%. As read in the previous post, "Cats' Meow", LOLCats was made famous by a pet owner who maybe, had too much time in hand. But he created a phenomenon so big that it conquered the internet world. One person after another person was spamming each other with their own creative cat pictures. Cats or no cats, LOLCats will always be something interesting to see, agree?

Speaking of something interesting to see, cats are not the only animal taking center stage - rabbits too with 16.7%. The previous post, Oolong the Pancake Rabbit became one of our most commented post yet with 7 comments so far. Oolong was no doubt, a talented rabbit.

Last but definitely not least, Baby Dancing to Beyonce with 5.5% of votes. This is considered as one of the latest Internet Meme that became a phenomenon just last year, 2009. This meme was created by parents who video recorded their young child, infant to be exact, dancing to Beyonce's hip song, Single Ladies. The baby actually tries to mimic the moves from the Single Ladies video. It became sort of like a competition among the parents on YouTube by posting a video of their baby dancing.

So, it seems that people crowned other Internet Memes and "This is Sparta!!!" as their most memorable Internet Meme. What do you think of the results? Did you get a chance to actually vote? Voice your opinion here.


Vivienne

Om Nom Nom Nom - Let's Eat Together

Link to Us: http://snipr.com/om3nom

How do you eat? Eat slowly to enjoy the tasty food? Or just eat like a mad person because you want to fill up your stomach? Recently, a new Internet Meme was created and became prominent in a short amount of time and it is called "Om Nom Nom Nom". Huh? What is that? It actually means "Enjoy Eating".

Parry Grip, Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom - Parry Grip, Youtube [Online], Retrieved on 11th January 2010.

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMWi7CLoZ2Q&feature=player_embedded

The founder of this Internet Meme is actually a college student and he likes to watch the children television series called Sesame Street. His favorite character in the series is none other than the blue color monster - Cookie Monster. Every time when Cookie Monster is eating, you will hear one of his famous eating phrases which is "Om Nom Nom Nom". One day, the founder randomly took a picture of his pet eating and he inserted the "Om Nom Nom Nom" phrase in the picture. He then started sharing it with others and suddenly, more and more people are doing the same thing. Eventually, it became a hot topic in the Internet world.


Jamie Dubs, Om Nom Nom Nom, Know Your Meme [Online], Retrieved on 17th January 2010.
URL: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/om-nom-nom-nom

Based on the research that we have done, we found out that most Internet users are either using their own pets or other funny pictures to bring out the feel of "Om Nom Nom Nom". However, there are some immoral Internet users using other kinds of picture to alter the original interpretation of the "Om Nom Nom Nom" Meme into something indecent- XXX. You should know what is that.

This is a very negative and irresponsible behavior as it can cause problem to other Internet users especially the younger generation. Younger kids or children could encounter those indecent interpretations made by the immoral Internet users and be affected negatively by it.

We hope that this kind of immoral Internet users can stop their negative act in the world of Internet as many people are using it daily in order to prevent the younger generation from being influenced by the bad behavior. We hope that none of you are this kind of Internet users because if you are, then you should know what to do!


Advin

Cats' Meow

Link to Us: http://snipr.com/cats-meow


Chadrew, Top 10 Internet Memes [Online], Retrieved on 12th January 2010.

URL: http://www.squidoo.com/top-10-internet-memes

Lolcats? What on earth is that? Well, some of you may have heard or seen this Internet Meme before while some may not. This Internet Meme or should we say Internet Phenomenon started with a person taking a picture of a cat and puts a funny caption on it and sends it out to their friends. However though, note that the English used in the caption are meant to be broken as it adds more humor into it.

Slowly, more and more people encounter these pictures on the Internet in websites such as forums or in a blog or even a social networking site. They then begin to find these pictures from all over the Internet and some even take a picture of a cat on their own and put it on MSN, Facebook or forums.

Even till today, you will still find these Lolcats pictures "roaming" around in websites as people still take pictures of cats. But rather than just plainly taking random cat pictures and putting a caption on it, some used these cat pictures to create a story out of it. The story may range from their own creativity to movies that you guys watched in the cinema.

B., Mircrosuede: Movie Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon [Online] Retrieved on 15th January 2010.

URL: http://microsuede.blogspot.com/2009/11/movie-review-twilight-saga-new-moon.html

Movies? Yes, movies! Movies like Twilight: New Moon and Sex and The City. Some of the movie fans might get upset when they see the mentioned blockbuster movies like the Twilight fans but truth to be told, there is nothing to get upset about because it is merely for entertainment and as a joke.

Also, this Internet Meme can be a stress reliever. The reason being that is if you are feeling stress about your work, it can make you, most people or even everyone laugh because of the creativity and hysterical side of the lolcats. Just in case, you might want to prepare a glass of water beside you as you might end up with a hiccup after going through the lolcats.

Lastly, credit goes to the person who created the story using cats as creativity is still needed in arranging the picture sequence, choosing the right cats for the characters and even the editing image skills. And let's hope more of these lolcats come out in 2010 to give us more laughter and entertainment. Agree?

Jason

Oolong - The Poor Rabbit

Link to Us: http://snipr.com/oolongrabbit


Chadrew, Top 10 Internet Memes [Online], Retrieved on 14th January 2010.

URL: http://www.squidoo.com/top-10-internet-memes

Some may remember this little cute rabbit who created waves around the internet. Everyone just kept on talking about this rabbit - from saying how cute it was to criticizing the rabbit. Some even put their own caption over it (almost similar to the LOLCats meme) and send it to their friends through e-mail and even at random chat-rooms. Some said it was like a spam where everyone kept posting up the picture of the talented but innocent rabbit. Although this internet meme was quite a long time ago, we still see this rabbit at certain sites. And this made us wonder, who is this rabbit and what made it so famous?

The name of the rabbit is Oolong, which it is a type of a tea. Oolong is owned by a Japanese photographer named Hironori Akutagawa and this rabbit became a "celebrity" because of its unique talent to balance an object on its head in which Akutagawa calls it "Head Performance" while remaining its cuteness as well.

Unfortunately, Oolong passed away seven years ago on 7th January 2003. Akutagawa now owns another rabbit called Yuebing and she is trained by the photographer to perform the same way as Oolong did. Now, assuming that if majority of the rabbits out there have the same ability as Oolong, would you pay more attention to this pet? Despite the rabbit's special talent, we feel that every animal and human being has their own personality and characteristic. We do not need to force ourselves or others to change or learn something different in order to get other's attention.

Furthermore, we feel that Akutagawa is torturing the rabbit because objects like a cup or a can are placed on Oolong and sometimes even food which he cannot even eat it if he is feeling hungry at that time. We feel pity for Oolong and Yuebing. So, do you think that Akutagawa is torturing the rabbits or he is just simply showing their unique talent?

Advin

Inside Out of Internet Meme

Link to Us: http://snipr.com/intromeme

Some of us may not even know the word or generally think that the word is a name of a pet cat. Whereas, some heard of the word but is not quite sure what it means.

Internet "Meme", pronounced as 'mim' or 'meem' (not mimi), is a cultural or idea that passes on and spreads from one person to another. Something like how computer viruses spreads. The only difference? This so-called "virus" is spread through the mind of a human being, with the help of the famous World Wide Web of course.

Don't get confuse with the actual word meme which means almost the same thing but do keep in mind that we are talking about internet memes here.

Don't get it? Don't worry. We too, didn't get it the first time.

Maybe these examples will help you go, "Ohhh..... I see..."


Remember the LOLCats?


Chadrew, Top 10 Internet Memes [Online], Retrieved on 12th January 2010.
URL: http://www.squidoo.com/top-10-internet-memes

This used to be, and we think it still is, the only thing people were doing. It all started by taking a picture of a cat and putting a funny caption over it. And suddenly, it took over like a storm. Everyone were posting these pictures on people's MySpace or Facebook page. Some even used it as MSN emoticons!

So, internet meme is basically what's Hot and Happening on the web that everyone is doing right now!

Still unsure?


Well, there will be more of this coming. So, stay tune.


Vivienne