Memes are to the Internet as grumpiness is to Grumpy Cat. But of the multitudes of memes on the web, only a handful achieve true Internet stardom. This infographic by Dr. Gentleman and Cracked.com illustrates the rise, decline, and fall of Internet memes. It explains how memes emerge—usually with an original, clever remark, and how they progress through various stages before reaching their full potential. The infographic then explains how things start to go downhill when everyone, everywhere,wants a piece of the comedic spotlight. Finally, the meme drifts into obscurity as people take a hack at it without recalling the original joke—rendering it about as unfunny as a reunion special for a crappy sitcom.
