Peter Dutton and the case of the unflattering photo.

"Peter Dutton photo goes global" is not necessarily a headline we'd expect out of Australian politics but this week, the immigration minister became a trending topic when a poorly lit photo met the internet before his press secretary had time to stop it. Journalist Stephanie Peatling tweeted the photo, taken by Alex Ellinghausen, and gave it the simple caption of "Eek". At this point, it could've just been another unattractive photo on the internet that would soon be forgotten, but for the actions of Dutton's media team. They requested Peatling remove the photo, claiming it to be "unflattering". Peatling agreed, on the condition that she could state why the photo was no longer on her twitter feed. The internet collectively saw an opportunity, and a meme was born.

It started with a tweet raising the idea that perhaps Dutton's staff don't understand how the internet works...

Peter Dutton wants this photo deleted, so please delete it ASAP!
I'll just pin it here so you know which one it is. pic.twitter.com/n05I34bD2o

— Dave Donovan (@davrosz) May 3, 2016

And then, we descended into pop culture villains with this Hannibal Lecter reference.

Please stop sharing this image of Peter Dutton. #dutton pic.twitter.com/Su2Q4Yalve

— timdunlop (@timdunlop) May 3, 2016

Followed by Darth Malgus...

Please stop sharing this photo of Peter Dutton. He doesn't like it. pic.twitter.com/aJAyNf58f1

— David C. Simon (@theleast) May 3, 2016

And Dracula, Stephen King's Pennywise, and the "monster under the bed" trope.

Reddit has its faults, but /r/photoshopbattle went to town on Dutton last night pic.twitter.com/0WkrgowdBc

— Special Agent Scully (@miss_shiny) May 3, 2016

Queen made an iconic appearance.

Peter Dutton #auspol pic.twitter.com/wqVBVWSJqO

— Olivia Copse (@OliviaCopse) May 3, 2016

Our Dutton coverage ends with a meta-meme. In 2013, Beyonce's publicist requested that Buzzfeed remove some "unflattering" photos from her Superbowl half-time performance. Buzzfeed responded by doubling down, starting a new thread with the photos featured. This edit adds one unwanted photo to another, whilst creating something comically absurd but distinctly unique to the internet.

The real picture Dutton didn't want you to see. pic.twitter.com/ASpxtGDXQr

— James Hutchinson (@j_hutch) May 3, 2016

Politics is fertile ground for content. Memes can sit in the cross-section of visual media and satire, allowing for something that is easily accessible, capable of making a point and, in many cases, hilarious. We'll be looking at a few other instances of political memes over the next few weeks so if making fun of politicians sounds like your idea of a good time, be sure to follow us on Twitter - we're @MemeMachineMQ.

When Basketball is your Life

Hobbies can be fun. They can also can be insanely competitive and life altering. Basketball has always been a competitive sport, but this competitiveness makes those who fail at it all the more embarrassing. This marks the birth of basketball memes, where individuals who try hard, fail hard. For example, sometimes you just like basketball a lot, maybe a bit too much? In fact, this fellow gentleman took it to the next level, he BECAME a basketball, and a internet meme while he was at it. I wish my dedication was that intense.

Still, basketball memes don't just come from the supporters, they can come from the players themselves too. Especially when a professional basketball player doesn't look like they're playing basketball. 

Wow. When you're in that position, just slap on a caption and it instantly becomes a sensational basketball meme. In his defense, at least he probably stopped that guy from hitting the shot. Still, it looks more like he should be playing soccer, don't you agree? 

THEN AGAIN, photo editing becomes a popular option to creating popular basketball memes, even when the players themselves are unaware of it. You could have a wonderful and normal photo of people playing basketball, but a simple take and switch with a photo editing program can meme-ify that photo. Take a look at this red hot, or should i say delicious basketball meme?

SO GOOD. I may be talking about the chicken or the player, but now you'll never know! 

Introductions

Hello Lovely People of the Internet,

This blog is about memes circulating the internet. We will cover past and present memes, where they are being used and why they are so popular.

Memes are an integral part of internet culture and it is important to discuss their relevancy,  the context in which they are used, their popularity and the variants of each meme itself.

These will range from political memes to popular Facebook pages to the newly created 'dank' or 'underground' memes. Each category represents a different group of people and a different kind of internet culture which in-turn means their could be some explicit content ranging from triggers to explicit content.

So hold on to your hats folks and welcome to the wild wild world of the internet.


The Origins of Memes - Uploaded in 2014