Hey, I just met you . . .

 Overly-Attached Girlfriend, Viral vs. Memetic

This week, I chose three variations of the overly-attached girlfriend meme heralded as the most popular by various meme-related websites and blogs. The three are prominent examples of Shifman's (2014) ideas on what contributes to the success on viral content, yet still reach success in terms of variation and remix without fully adhering to the proposed definitions of memetic content.

 The three memes chosen highlight Shifman's (2014) ideas on positivity and humor. Typically, the overly-attached girlfriend memes are designed in two lines of text or more, with half positioned on the top of the photo and half positioned on the bottom. The top is typically an innocuous fragment of a statement or question, while the bottom fragments are what contributes to the humorous shock or surprise. The bottom segment of text, generally the most humorous, drives its virality through social networks because it is most interesting and shared to increase sharer perception of being "upbeat and entertaining" (Shifman, 2014, p. 67).

A second piece contributing to its viral success are the meme's packaging (Shifman, 2014). The few sentences in the picture, coupled with the facial expressions of the woman is simple and clear enough to understand the humorous aspect intended. No outside contextual knowledge of the woman, where she gained her famous status, or any other aspects of her personal life is necessary in understanding the message in each photograph.

Lastly, while some aspects of overly-attached girlfriend's characteristics fit memetic definitions proposed by Shifman, (2014) many of the categories detailed must be updated and retooled when considering Laina's success in meme format. She fits Shifman's (2014) argument of memes as ordinary individuals contributing to memetic success as production and fitting the background in the original video is easy. Also, she is considered more of a peer within the online community, especially between others who have had success in meme format. Laina falls into several other memetic characteristics through her shocking, humorous bottom line, as previously mentioned. In the orignal video from which the meme originates, Laina is taking part in comic playfulness, inviting users to take part in the "game" she proposes through her crazy-girlfriend persona. Because of this, each of the memes relate in some way to the persona Laina crafted through her YouTube video.

Relating to design aspects, overly-attached girlfriend takes part in the simplicity precursor to memetics (Shifman, 2014). In the original video, Laina is situated in front of a blank, white wall with a few pictures posted on it. In subsequent remixes or repostings of the meme, each follows the same design cues, including an individual in a plain, light-blue shirt in front of a white wall with photographs. While Laina completely goes against any ideas of masculinity that Shifman (2014) proposes, she highlights the notion that Shifman (2014) fails to encapsulate a large amount of successful memes of the last few years. Perhaps a retooling of this characteristic is needed; while flawed masculinity is present in some memes, overly-attached girlfriend encapsulates stereotypical ideas of femininity in her reinforcement of the "crazy girlfriend."