AI Memes: Time-Traveling Trend Reshapes Internet History, Sparks Reactions

Meme culture meets AI-generated videos in a trend that’s reshaping internet history.

Time-traveler videos alter iconic memes: A new trend on social media platforms like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) involves using AI to generate videos that add new context to well-known memes:

• These “time traveler” videos often depict figures interrupting the original meme or adding haunting specters to the scene.
• One popular example alters the “distracted boyfriend” meme, showing the boyfriend turning to follow the other woman while his girlfriend stands nearby.

Luma Dream Machine enables realistic AI meme edits: The videos are made using Luma Dream Machine, an AI model that generates high-quality, realistic videos from source images and text prompts:

• Dream Machine can generate 120 frames of video in under 120 seconds and offers a free tier, making it highly accessible compared to alternatives like OpenAI’s Sora.
• While the AI-generated videos often contain visual glitches and unnatural human depictions, the core iconography of the original memes remains recognizable.

Meme preservation unlikely to be threatened: Experts believe the trend does not pose a significant threat to digital media preservation:

• The power of the remixed memes relies on widespread familiarity with the originals.
• Memes are often the result of editing to begin with, so further modification with AI falls within the nature of meme culture and sharing on social media.

Uncanny and unsettling visuals spark reactions: The strange, glitchy appearance of many AI meme edits has elicited both amusement and unease:

• Game developer Lukas Robert Hron intentionally aimed for an off-putting vibe in his popular remake of a classic Vine, but the video’s uncanniness was largely a product of Dream Machine’s limitations.
• Other AI meme videos depict figures being chased by shadows, morphing into unrecognizable forms, or being consumed by monsters, tapping into a sense of body horror.

Broader implications for online skepticism: While AI-altered memes are unlikely to overshadow the originals, they signal a new wave of digital content creation and engagement:

• The rise of AI meme editing could contribute to growing online skepticism, with users increasingly questioning the trustworthiness of even lighthearted internet content.
• As AI-generated videos become more prevalent and sophisticated, they may further blur the lines between authentic and synthetic media, shaping the future of online discourse and culture.