The word “memetics” is derived from combining the word genetics with the Greek word “mimeme”, which means “something that is imitated”. Memetics is the study of how culture and information are constantly being passed along, combined and reconfigured along the way, making something new which is called a “meme”. The idea is that these new configurations of jokes, events, and news items are very much parallel to the genetic sequences that make everybody who they are.
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Like it or not, society today is very much steeped in meme culture. Jokes are constantly being recombined and extrapolated with new information so frequently that somebody might not even know they’re saying something that originally appeared on a cookie commercial or as a throwaway line from The Simpsons. Entire media empires have thrived off of memes, buzzing RSS feeds with articles that are nothing more than a series of .gifs, taking scenes from shows and making a single line from a seemingly disparate situation somehow sum up what it felt like to be a child growing up in the 90s.
It is no surprise, then, that certain shows and movies have utilized the incredible power of memes to latch onto the psyche of their viewers. It is one thing to include a well-known joke that made its rounds on the Internet, but to have a character say something that becomes the joke everybody recognizes? This has the dual effect of marketing a show through word-of-mouth without having to spend any extra ad money, while also making those who repeat the joke feel a sense of belonging with the show and fellow fans. Humans are always looking for communities to be a part of, and for things that happen to connect them to one another.
It’s why catchphrases were incorporated into sitcoms. One can hear it in the cheers from the studio audience, a whole room of people clapping and whistling because, internally, they are screaming “I recognize that!” Nowadays, these recurring, recognizable events in shows go beyond catchphrases and have evolved into whole jokes and motifs. Some become funnier with each iteration, and each new recurrence may alter the format just a little bit each time, like a child who bears a resemblance to their parents.
These conventions become the cornerstones that viewers use to relate to the show, and each other. The fact that one person can say a short pithy quote to somebody else, have that person say a continuation of the quote, and both know they share a common experience, can be exhilarating. The show, at that point, transforms into something more than a series of episodes, but becomes a common language among viewers.
This is how the shows help create a cult following for themselves. If a show has a bunch of its viewers saying quotes from the established conventions of that show, somebody will inevitably ask what it is they are all referencing. Then, without ever having to watch a commercial for it, this person has now been intrigued and gotten a slight taste of what this new thing (to them) has to offer. If they are so compelled, they also now have a social obligation to watch the show so they can understand what everybody is talking about.
For the person who was already watching, they have a sticking point in their mind. With each new repetition of the joke, both on and off the show, it reinforces in their mind that this is a thing they like. When they quote it with friends, they reinforce in each others’ minds that this is a thing they all like. Now they can be sure that this show is worth continued viewing, and, accompanied by the repeating joke, it acts as a feedback loop. It becomes an obsession, and soon, they are proselytizing the gospel of The Show for all who will stop to listen.
Long after, once the series is over and begins its process of fading from relevance into the annals of media history, there are still impressions left behind in the nooks and crannies of the viewer’s brain, like how there are still people who say “my wife” in a Borat voice. With the dominance of subscription services, there’s ample opportunity to turn unsuspecting people into fans even after the fact. Instead of having to go get their DVD collection to let somebody borrow, they can just let them know which service it’s available on. Even if the obsession has dimmed a bit and been replaced by the new hot item, a hardcore fan will always be a fan (outside of extenuating circumstances), and fans are always looking for new converts. Then, the casual viewer-to-superfan pipeline works its magic.
Repetition helps people memorize things, so it stands to reason that writing which keeps reinforcing certain concepts, especially humorous ones, will leave an indelible mark in the viewers mind. When viewers ponder why they find themselves so obsessed with a show, they should consider if there’s a recurring element that they can rely on whenever they watch a new episode and consider if they’ve been manipulated by a meme. Beyond that, they probably shouldn’t worry too much about it because joy can be hard to find in this world. If quoting lines from Letterkenny with buddies is what sparks that joy, in the end, that’s all that really matters.
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