KYM Reviews: Exploitables of 2018

Editor’s Note: This article is part of Know Your Meme’s annual review series looking back at some of the most memorable and popular memes, events and people that defined internet culture in 2018 as we know it.

uch like image macros, exploitables are an integral piece of the meme experience. Re-appropriating images and videos is basically what it's all about, and exploitables give people an easy template to follow--a formula that can be replicated an infinite number of times.

The best exploitables can serve a variety of purposes, from niché interests to worldwide branding for billion-dollar companies. As such, lesser exploitables grow tired in the eyes of the public, which is becoming increasingly more sophisticated in internet and meme literacy. The lifespan of a new exploitable shortens every day, as overzealous memers on Twitter, Reddit and Instagram rattle off jokes in hopes of beating each other to the punch.

However, a truly good exploitable has no expiration date. Its meaning and intention live on as others fall by the wayside. 2018 was lucky to have a number of such memes, and below is a list of some of the most prevalent, noteworthy, and influential. In no particular order, here are the top exploitables of 2018.

Thai Political Crisis Breakup

This was one of the most confusing and hard-to-research memes of the year, which makes its prevalence all the more interesting. Appearing in December of 2017, the Thai Political Crisis Breakup arrived a little too late for last year's lists, so it seems only fair to include it here. But how did a meme referencing a variety of Thai political officials, specifically former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, end up in so many memes about Star Wars Battlefront and Ajit Pai? The meme takes the specificity of political cartoon and turns it into a template that can be applied to seemingly any subculture, news item, opinion or other even memes themselves. Whether you like the meme or not, its spread is a prime example of the power of a good exploitable, where even if you don't understand its initial targets, memers can re-contextualize its easy-to-use format for any culture.

American Chopper Argument

I bet you didn't expect this one to make comeback. A relic of the days when America was obsessed with Oakley-wearing bikers, American Chopper is a show where 2009 never died, so it surprised everyone when an argument between the two leads drove its way back into the meme-scape nearly a decade later. Simple in its format, but endlessly hilarious given the right material, the American Chopper Argument shows father and son Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr. at each others' throats. To memers, however, they are debating who has the High Ground, downvoting OC and whether or not a vertical template is even right for the meme. Everyone was a winner in the resurgence of this meme, thanks to Paul Sr.'s hilarious pointing and chair throwing.

Left Exit 12 Off Ramp

One of the earliest memes of the year was also one of the easiest to mimic. A photograph of a car skidding into an exit is a clear, relatable and endlessly repeatable concept. Over the first half of the year, we saw a ton of these, ranging from the hopeful to the horribly racist and the self-deprecating to the over-confident, a true cross-section of the Internet. Much like the resurgence of It's a Pigeon?, "Left Exit 12" finds strength in clarity. This meme requires no prior inside knowledge, Internet codebreaking or even a site like Know Your Meme to understand what the author is going for. Whether or not the meme is funny or good or malicious isn't necessarily up to the meme, it's what people do with it. As a starting point for millions, Left Exit 12 gives them all the tools.

Steven Crowder's "Change My Mind" Campus Sign

Nothing better than a nice backfire meme, when one's hubris and desire for attention simply explodes in a sea of irony. Steven Crowder's "Change My Mind" meme didn't start as a helpful template for expressing an unpopular opinion or flight of nonsense. Crowder concocted the sign as a way to freak out college kids, especially those who are concerned about the treatment of women in society, with a big ol' sign that reads "Male Privilege Is a Myth." One can only imagine how triggered those libs would've been had this campaign been successful. But instead, his sign was quickly undercut by photoshops that said things like "Gonna drink this mug of Hot Piss / Change my mind," which were actually funny. The meme had a slow burn throughout the year, so hopefully, it'll stick around a little longer than others.

Yep, It's Gamer Time

Over the summer, something strange happened: Gamers rose up. Not to say they aren't frequently rising up. The customer base for one of the most profitable and popular hobbies in the world has long put pressure on companies, creators and developers, which sometimes turned very, very ugly. In short, gamers are always rising up, so the fact that a group of memes taking on the burden of society's most chastised subculture made for a great series. One of the most popular came from the /r/GamersRiseup subreddit, a hub of ironic gamer boy memes. But this four-panel meme kept intact some of the best parts of the gamer revolution, most importantly a level of self-awareness that's sorely lacking in many gaming memes.

Polite Cat

It's hard to hate Polite Cat. This smiley companion is not only landlord-approved but also it helped set off a flurry of variations in which a cat's unnatural, wide-mouthed smile earned a place in all our hearts. While most exploitables allow users to express an opinion, this is really a kind of one-note joke, but it's simple enough--and weird enough--to have stuck with us throughout the year. There's just something off-putting and comforting, in equal measure, about these little guys. However, any meme that can force you to question what's physically possible is sure to be memorable. This one had many, including some of the Know Your Meme staff, wondering "wait, can cats really smile like that?"

Gru's Plan

The year that also gave us Minion or Da Bob, also delivered on one of the most frequently replicated memes of the year. When it first appeared in March 2018, Gru's Plan seemed like another one-off Despicable Me meme. But over time, Gru's Plan proved much more insidious, infecting every quadrant of the internet with four-panels irony. The meme's self-reflexive streak helped keep it from getting stale, as its popularity soared around the internet. It's not the cleverest of plans, but for memers desperate to point out their own foibles, Gru's Plan really scratched an itch.

Deku Playing With His Mother

It should surprise no one that a My Hero Academia meme would be one of the year's most popular, but most anime memes are not as versatile as Deku Playing With His Mother. Anime usually isn't so welcoming to non-believers, but the scene from the My Hero Academia television series doesn't require any knowledge of the series, as the expressive faces make the two-panel exploitable crystal clear. Those who love it used the template, again and again, placing the characters in different situations, and replacing them with different signs and signifiers to change its meaning. The meme was a slow burn, never exploding all at once, allowing it to stay fresh in the minds of the memers who use it. Deku played with his mother all year, and no one got tired of the game.

Just Wanted to Get Another Look at You

Coming in late, Just Wanted to Get Another Look At You is aided by the ridiculously hyped movie the birthed it. Most seem to love A Star Is Born, and by proxy, they love A Star Is Born memes. But somehow, even the movie's detractors and critics signed up for this one, exploiting the trailer's most heartwarming moment and turning it on its head. The best memes can puncture a cultural moment that might be taking itself a little too seriously. Thankfully, this meme got there before the Oscar buzz did.

Steamed Hams

What can you say about the perfect meme from the perfect scene? Steamed Hams was already a highlight of the Simpsons' golden age, before this fantastic remix series arrived. The mix of bad lies, bad sitcom tropes and a little isometric exercise never fails to satisfy. So when it when the meme broke free from the prison of Simpsons Shitposting and into the outside Internet, people worked hard to improve upon a masterpiece. Somehow, they did. In one of the most shocking bursts of creativity of the year, Steamed Hams exploded all over the internet, like Aurora Borealis in a kitchen, and seemed to get better the more it was replicated. Steamed Hams might not just be the best exploitable of the year, but it also might be the best meme. Filled with wonderful moments, and tiny jokes and inflections, Steamed Hams is a neverending source of memes. Not bad for a three-minute long segment.