Okay I just need to start writing this or I'll literally never write it ever. Time is a flat circle and it's only degrading if we never acknowledge what the hell is clearly going on here !!!!
I was a cringe kid, about as cringe as you can get living in South Africa in 2009-2020 (i'm picking a wide range because a lot of major online shit for me happened during these times). Yes I was bullied, for about my entire school career before going online in 2022. I was on deviantart, amino, i used flipaclip, i got gr- .......
but why am I talking about this, and what am I even talking about exactly?
I'm going to start with what I think most people in this "general demographic" are familiar with, that being animation memes. Quick and bouncy videos to music with minimal animation replicated with different characters in its place. To be frank, they're about as ancient as early naughts net itself! Capirhina and Caramel Dansen are just 2 that can instantly inspire nostalgia in ones mind. What's not to love about them? They're simple, cute, and a great gateway into "baby's first moving picture." In fact, they were a gateway for a lot of creators into practicing and learning to love animation (although MAPs definitely also played a role in that, but put a pin in it)
It's not hard to understand the appeal of these things to a devloping mind. Every facet of it seems almost maticulously built to entertain a developing mind. Repetitive music that's catchy, simple but appealing visuals that move and stimulate the mind, and the prospect that you, yes YOU could make your own with just a computer (and later tablet) and a bit of inspiration ^w^
but how as it evolved since the early aughts? Let's have a look
1892, Théâtre Optique...
I'M KIDDING I'M KIDDING WHY THE FUCK WOULD WE GO THAT FAR BACK FGHJKL. Ok but for real it's hard to pinpoint where the term "animation meme" specifically originated, but the format itself has been around since early internet (post y2k) has. fanlore says "The earliest animation memes came from the Japanese hosting site Nico Nico Douga in the mid 2000s"
Animation Meme fanlore Jun 23, 2024 (Accessed 14/11/2024)