Tropes and memes share similarities, but they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics.
These are recurring themes, motifs, or conventions in literature, film, television, and other media. They represent familiar patterns that audiences recognize. For example, the "Chosen One" trope is a character who is selected, often unwittingly, to combat a great evil.
These are cultural symbols or practices that spread rapidly from person to person, often in the form of images, videos, or text, especially via the internet. Memes can evolve and spread quickly, reflecting or parodying current events or cultural phenomena.
They provide a shorthand or framework that creators can use to convey ideas quickly or to play with audience expectations. Tropes can be subverted, played straight, lampshaded, or inverted to create different effects in storytelling.
They are primarily for entertainment and are often used to convey humor, satire, or social commentary. They can also serve as a form of shared cultural knowledge or inside joke among internet users.
While they can evolve over time, the evolution of a trope is generally slower and is influenced by broader shifts in culture, storytelling techniques, and media consumption.
They can change rapidly, with variations appearing within hours or days. The lifespan of a meme can be very short, with some memes becoming outdated or "dead" within weeks.
"Love Triangle," "Villain's Monologue," "The Mentor's Death."
"Distracted Boyfriend," "Mocking SpongeBob," "Two Buttons."
Found in literature, film, TV shows, video games, and other forms of media.
Primarily spread via the internet, especially on social media platforms, forums, and meme specific websites.
In essence, while both tropes and memes are elements of shared cultural knowledge, tropes are tools used in storytelling across various media, while memes are bite-sized pieces of culture that spread virally online. However, it's worth noting that in the age of the internet, the line between them can blur, with memes sometimes becoming tropes in online storytelling and vice versa.
More Meme Examples
An image of a distracted boyfriend looking at another woman while his girlfriend looks on disapprovingly. This image has been modified countless times with different labels to depict various situations, making it a popular meme on the internet.
More Meme Examples
The flat Earthers were right !