KYM Review: Breakthrough Meme Formats Of 2020
How often do we find formats and archetypes that change the very way we meme for months and years? While turning an image into a macro or a editing a funny video takes talent and effort, making a meme in a way never done before takes another level of creativity and innovation. In 2020, the internet discovered new ways to meme that redefined the very look of our feeds, and brought formerly niche formats into the spotlight. GIF captions, image preview memes, neural networks and specialized software: this year memers spent a lot of time to hone their craft and bring memes to the next level.
GIF Captions
While iFunny's has been supplying the internet with meme formats for several years now, GIF captions are by far the greatest gift this controversial app has given. First introduced by iFunny in 2014, it took GIF Captions years of trickle-down meme economics to reach mainstream. In 2020 the format finally managed to achieve that. Introduction of Discord bots such as esmBot, Onyx and MemerBot which generate GIF Captions just the way iFunny does gave memers the tools to make memes without the app, which made the format all the more popular on Twitter and Reddit.
Facemorphs
Not only Yakuza 0's "Baka Mitai" was one of the defining memes of the summer, it also showcased that making memes can be much more than spending five minutes in an image editor. Using First Order Motion Model for Image Animation tool to make static photographs move, talk and sing open a Pandora's box of memeing opportunities. Making Facemorphs required learning and effort but was all the more rewarding for it.
Dubbing
How can you make a good meme even better? Voice acting. Hearing your favorite characters say the dumbest yet somehow fitting lines can bring any meme to sheer perfection. In 2020, dubbed memes took off so hard on Twitter and Instagram that it formed its own scene, with stars such as @GetGianni on Twitter and DaVoicePlug on Instagram shining bright upon it.
Misinterpretation
Rather a trope than a meme format, misinterpretation has been a trademark of extremely online communities such as iFunny and /r/okbuddyretard for quite a while, but it was a slew of new associated formats that arrived in 2020 that brought it into omainstream. IDK I've Never, Based on What? and other formats show that playing dumb and pretending to be ignorant while making a clever pun can be an effective way to score internet points.
POV Roleplays
Starting off on TikTok in early 2019, POV Roleplays gradually expanded their presence to other platforms before really taking off and entering their golden era in early 2020. Putting the viewer in the position of the weirdest things imaginable (such as a Pringle chip or the man that has fallen into the river in Lego City) proved to be a great meme concept that required some vivid imagination to pull off.
REFACE and FaceApp Face Morphing
In 2020, neural network-based photo editing apps remained a popular choice for making memes that would have required expert editing skills some three years ago. This year, REFACE made a big change, with mememakers taking full advantage of the ability to replace any face in a GIF or a video with a face of any other person. FaceApp and its Face Morphing tool is a close second, now allowing the internet merge people's faces like it's Pokemon Fusion.
Objection.lol
When it comes to truly unique meme generators, it's objection.lol that takes the cake this year. The generator can produce an Ace Attorney scene indistinguishable from the originals, with your custom dialogue and direction in it.
A video game loved by millions? Check. Easy to use? Check. Feeding it heated Discord conversations about random subjects and making them even funnier? Check. What else could you need for a perfect meme machine?
Twitter Image Preview Memes
Fact: Twitter image preview memes have been around for a while. In 2019, we had Sasuke Choke Edits. The biggest meme of 2019, Woman Yelling at a Cat originated from a thumbnail preview meme. And yet in 2020, the format has outdone itself both in quality and in quantity with Thigh-high Boots Mashups and Pope Francis Holding Things formats, both of which had Twitter busy calibrating a perfect match for a perfect meme.
21st Century Humor
Welcome to the future, where humor is randomly generated – but is it really? Building up on the YouTube Poop heritage and improving /r/arabfunny's formula of rapidly changing and flashing animations and videos spiced with a variety of sound effects, 21st Century Humor offers rehashed and remixed meme fodder fit for zoomers who overdose on the internet culture on daily basis. Having ADHD and being on the very edge of meme progress required.
Looking for more of this year's best viral phenomena and memes? Be sure to check out our other 2020 meme roundups below:
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