Why the 5 “Best Internet Meme” Finalists Went Viral [Mashable Awards]

The “Best Internet Meme” Mashable Award is a new category for 2010, so we’re particularly excited to see who takes home the trophy.

In order to help you best decide who to vote for, we caught up with some of the finalists to get their perspective on their recent viral successes. We also spoke with experts to find out why certain memes become so popular.

Have a read of the interviews below, share your thoughts in the comments, and most importantly of all, vote to have a say in what is judged to be the Mashable Awards’ “Best Internet Meme” of the year.

1. Bed Intruder

Whether you see Antoine Dodson as a figure of fun or an urban poet, there’s no doubting his popularity across the net. An unlikely start for a meme, his Channel 48 interview after the attempted rape of his sister has propelled him to online fame, something Dodson describes as beyond his control.

“You’ll have to thank the rest of the world and The Gregory Brothers for tuning in… I simply expressed my anger to the camera,” says Dodson, who sees a parallel between his situation and Double Rainbow’s Bear Vasquez. “We both were expressing true emotion in a moment caught on film although the emotions are at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Both videos have spawned many parodies and covers.”

So why did the “Bed Intruder” meme take off so fast? “It moves people with laughter, anger, compassion, etc., in ways that inspire them to respond with their own creativity,” suggests Dodson. He believes the meme has helped bring the serious issues behind the original interview to light.

“The cause behind the Bed Intruder event — attempted sexual assault — is a topic that is generally very hard for people to discuss openly. Bed Intruder has aired out a difficult experience and brought light and laughter to many people. Many of my fans write that I have helped them so much by talking openly about sexual abuse and assault. If being the best Internet meme can help more people who have experienced or know someone who has experienced abuse, that is worthwhile.”

One thing’s for sure, whether or not “Bed Intruder” wins the Mashable Award, this won’t be the last we see of Dodson. He has revealed to Mashable that he’s currently in talks with “a couple of movie producers.”

2. FFFFffffuuuuu Guy

Brad Kim, the web editor at Know Your Meme, describes the FFFFffffuuuuu Guy, or Rageguy, meme series as “exceptional” thanks to its volume of circulation and the sheer variety of spin-off memes that followed.

The main reason that the Rageguy meme has seen such success is thought to be the often true nature of the often ordinary reasons for the rage.

“Rageguy comics (and its spin-offs) tend to illustrate real life anecdotes that others can easily empathize with,” says Kim. “Whether it’s about spilling grape juice on a white t-shirt or stepping on power plugs, people seem inclined to share stories about things that irritate them.”

Tanner Ringerud, associate editor at BuzzFeed agrees: “Rageguy is so popular because of the classic maxim, ‘it’s funny because it’s true.’ ”

“We are all familiar with the scenarios, but we don’t realize how ludicrous they are until we’re made aware that everyone else is experiencing the same irrational response to relatively mundane events. They’re the Internet version of an early-90s observational stand-up comedian.”

With regards to the various spin-offs, Kim suggests the Rageguy “reaction faces” found on comment threads and forums work so well because they are “delivered through facial expressions and not words, which makes it easier to understand the jokes.”

And as far as Rageguy’s carelessly drawn looks go — that’s all part of the appeal.

“Most instances of Rageguy types are drawn carelessly, as if the creator had nothing else but MS Paint to illustrate with. Maybe it’s a nostalgia thing, perhaps it’s for expediency, but people seem to appreciate the ‘I-made-this-in-a-minute’ aesthetics,” says Kim.

3. Double Rainbow

Bear Vasquez became the most famous rainbow fan on the Internet earlier this year when his emotional reaction to seeing a “double rainbow” went viral. As is often the case with memes, Vasquez had no idea the clip would prove so popular.

“I never meant to be a meme,” Vasquez told Mashable. “It was shot in one take and was not an intentional video; it’s something I caught and reacted to. I am only a vessel of the Spirit of the Universe and a servant for mankind. Being a meme is just a by-product of this.”

Despite not meaning to make a meme, Vasquez can see why the Double Rainbow phenomenon began: “A good meme is something that sparks something deep in everybody who watches it. My video is so powerful because I was witnessing God and I give a pure reaction.”

Vasquez hopes that by winning the Best Internet Meme award it will allow him to spread his message for humanity, and he is more than ready for the challenge.

“I am brave enough to not care if people think I am crazy, talented enough to capture this and humble enough to let the universe flow through me. I am strong enough to carry out this mission and obedient enough to make it happen,” Vasquez concludes.

4. #FridayReads

#FridayReads stands apart in this category as a meme that offers more than just entertainment. In the words of the meme’s creator, Bethanne Patrick, it’s an organic, meaningful, and useful meme that touches on a real contemporary issue — literacy.

Patrick tells us she began #FridayReads as “a simple extension of my entire reason for being in new media: Love of books and reading. I created #fridayreads one day when I was stuck on what to read next. I thought that if I asked my ‘tweeps’ about their own current reads, I’d get a few ideas.”

This simple idea has become a Twitter success story. We asked Patrick what she thought were the reasons for the success.

“Because of its authenticity and simplicity. Authenticity: There’s no corporate power behind it, just a bunch of people who volunteer each week to get the word out about the meme and to share great books. Simplicity: No one has to think hard or long about a response; a single book title and the hash tag and you’re done.”

5. Sad Keanu

So what’s the big secret behind Sad Keanu’s popularity? Brad Kim says its success can be attributed to its “high exploitability.”

“Its degree in ‘exploitability’ has to do with the nature of image: a Hollywood celebrity eating a sandwich on a park bench, wearing an ambivalent expression,” explains Kim. “As to why it’s so popular, it’s difficult to pinpoint. My guess is that people took interest in Sad Keanu for different reasons, perhaps for its sheer randomness in the beginning and later boosted by fans who became aware of it.”

Meanwhile, Nick Douglas, senior editor of Urlesque, takes a more technical view of the reasons behind the photo-based meme’s success.

“Sad Keanu went huge because Reddit and Tumblr were on the cusp of replacing 4chan as the birthplace of memes. Those two sites have built a culture of memes and remixes that have just gotten large enough to tip into the media. Reddit users had many stories that this was a nice guy with a surprisingly tough life, so they had a narrative to work with. Tumblr users had a recognizable meme in image form — the best form for going viral on Tumblr, since it takes under 10 seconds to see a picture, laugh at it, and reblog it,” says Douglas.

“The meme was kept alive when new pictures kept coming out, and when Michael Cera, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jon Hamm’s Don Draper got similar Photoshop treatment. Each time, Sad Keanu was constantly mashed up with the new guy.”

Platform, shareability and exploitability are certainly strong theories. But we’ll leave you with another thought from Tanner Ringerud:

“Sad Keanu is funny because it’s so incongruous. Nobody expects Keanu Reeves to be sad or thoughtful — he was Ted from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.”

What are your thoughts on the five finalists for Mashable Awards’ “Best Internet Meme” category? Let us know in the comments below.

The Mashable Awards Gala at Cirque du Soleil Zumanity (Vegas)

In partnership with Cirque du Soleil, The Mashable Awards Gala event will bring together the winners and nominees, the Mashable community, partners, media, the marketing community, consumer electronics and technology brands and attendees from the 2011 International CES Convention to Las Vegas on Thursday, January 6, 2011. Together, we will celebrate the winners and the community of the Mashable Awards at the Cirque du Soleil Zumanity stage in the beautiful New York New York Hotel. The event will include acts and performances from our partner Cirque du Soleil Zumanity. In addition, there will be special guest presenters and appearances.

Date: Thursday, January 6th, 2011 (during International CES Convention week)
Time: 7:00 – 10:00 pm PT
Location: Cirque du Soleil Zumanity, New York New York Hotel, Las Vegas
Agenda: Networking, Open Bars, Acts, Surprises and the Mashable Awards Gala presentations
Socialize: Facebook, Foursquare, Meetup, Plancast, Twitter (Hashtag: #MashableAwards)

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More Internet Meme Resources from Mashable:

- 5 Crafty Tricks for Creating Killer Photo Memes
- Sad Keanu Reeves in a Helmet Meme Hits the Web [GALLERY]
- Cats: They’re On the Internet [COMIC]
- 9 Universal Principles of Viral Media Sites

More About: best internet meme, Dynadot, mashable awards, mashable awards 2010, Meme, memes, viral

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