Generative AIs are not only posing a threat to people's livelihood and information democracy, it have also slowly started altering internet culture as they become part of many modern memes.
The Rise of 'AI Memes and Vines'
Ever since AI video generators like Midjourney or Stable Diffusion became viral in 2021, "AI Memes" have started to become part of social media discussions and even served an integral role in many trends over the past years.
You might even know some of them. Most notable examples are the "Ash Baby," "Alligator Kick," and the dozens of AI-dubbed memes that have spawned in span of three years.
As the technology continues to evolve, more modern iterations are also becoming more rampant as users apply the technology to videos and other media as seen with the time traveler trend on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), as well as the "Chauffeur" song meme.
Read also: AI Vines: The Second AI Wave on Meme Culture
Shifting Internet Culture
The rise of "AI Memes" to prominence can also be pointed to the current culture dominating online spaces that made these trends, not only survive but thrive.
Many memes from younger generations often lean toward absurdism and inside humor, as displayed by "brainrot" memes, a suitable environment for AI-generated memes to retain relevance.
A huge part of AI meme's popularity is due to how it interprets user requests, much similar to how trends currently circulate online.
More Discussions, More Direct Engagements
Even efforts to curb the rise of these "AI memes" as it often results in increased attention and engagement to these trends, further expanding their reach.
This can be seen with artists' attempts to "retrieve" a trend from AI-generated memes and materials, which in turn only encouraged more people to be exposed to these memes and possibly share them with others.
