According to researchers looking at modern forms of communication, memes have the capacity to transcend cultures and construct collective identities between people.
These seemingly simple jokes can also be powerful tools for self-expression, social influence and even political subversion.
Internet memes "are one of the clearest manifestations of the fact there is such a thing as digital culture", said Paolo Gerbaudo, a reader in digital politics and director of the Centre for Digital Culture at Kings College London.
Gerbaudo describes memes as a "sort of a ready-made language with many kinds of stereotypes, symbols, situations. A palette that people can use, much like emojis, in a way, to convey a certain content."
Memes tap into our collective online consciousness and because of that, they have also been referred to as digital folklore – or "Netlore."
"We can see not just the new ways people do things or the new ways people express themselves in public but also some of the themes, some of the anxieties or desires people have. All of these complex issues are reflected in things like memes," Gerbaudo added.
If you're still scrolling this list, chances are, you are part of the meme subculture.
Gerbaudo thinks that if you're looking at a meme and "you get through the kind of enigma or mystery around that at face value" you are probably part of the group it is aimed at.
"You understand [the] language, you understand the assumptions of the group," he added.
Oftentimes the most viral, most loved memes are memes that are about things that are very recent in public memory. However, there's something timeless about 'Neurodivergent Memes.'
