The Internet is a strange place. It is almost like a country. It has its own rules, culture, and creatures. One of these creatures is the Internet meme. The word "meme" was invented in 1976 by the biologist Richard Dawkins. He used it to describe ideas, songs, or behaviors that spread among people. Memes change over time just like genes do in animals. When the Internet began to gain popularity in the 1990s, the term was taken up by Internet users. They used it to describe any video, image, or phrase that spreads online.
The first popular Internet meme was a short video of a dancing baby. It slowly spread around the Internet in 1996, mostly by email. But now, with social media and popular forums such as Reddit, memes can be shared far more quickly. And although most memes disappear almost as fast as they appeared, a select few do achieve a long life online. Some even stick around for years!
One of the most popular and lasting memes is the LOLcats meme. ( "LOL" means "laugh out loud.") LOLcats are images of cats paired with a funny statement or question. The original LOLcat image, posted in 2007, featured an eager-looking cat along with the words "I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?" This began a long tradition of people posting cat pictures with grammatically incorrect or poorly spelled speech. (This speech is now called "LOLspeak.")
At first glance, memes may seem like a load of silly Internet junk. But with the Internet so full of negativity, memes often add a dash of humor into our online lives. And for that fact alone, they should be seen as very valuable indeed!
網路的確是一個奇怪的所在，幾乎就像一個國家，擁有自己奇特的規則、文化和生物。其中一種奇異生物就是「網路迷因」。「迷因」一詞是由知名生物學家理查•道金斯於1976年所發明。他以此語詞描述傳播於人與人之間的點子、歌曲或行為。迷因就像基因對動物身體的影響，一樣會隨時間改變。當網路於1990年代開始大受歡迎，網友就使用了「迷因」這個字詞，拿來形容在網上瘋傳的任何影片、影像或用語。
第一個熱門的網路迷因，是一個跳舞寶寶的3D動畫短片。它在1996年逐漸席捲網路，且多以電子郵件轉發。不過現在，隨著社群媒體和Reddit等熱門論壇誕生後，大家能更輕易且快速的分享迷因。雖然多數迷因出現得快，消失得也快，卻有特定的少數迷因擁有很長的網路壽命，有時甚至揮之不去多年之久。
其中一個最流行且屹立不搖的迷因，就是「LOL貓咪」（「LOL」是「放聲大笑」的縮寫）。「LOL 貓咪」是以貓咪的影像搭配逗趣的陳述或問題。原創的「LOL 貓咪」影像於2007年首發，是一隻眼神殷切盼望的貓咪搭配「我可以粗起司漢堡？」的文字。然後就開啟了悠久的網路傳統，就是大家會將貓咪照片配上文法錯誤或拼字能力極差的言論（後來也成為大家熟知的「搞笑語」）。
乍看之下，迷因或許看似一堆搞笑、無用的網路垃圾。但在充滿負面議題的網路世界，迷因常能在網路生活裡增添一點必要的幽默感。單以這項事實來看，迷因的確被視為價值連城！
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