Platform Cycle

When a meme is posted and becomes popular, there is a sudden surge of this kind of meme across the more populated areas of the web. Stage 1 of the surge is the start: often memes will start on Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit. Twitter and Reddit often have their own meme surges within them after a meme is made, largely unaffected by the discussions on other platforms. Instagram memes can move between Reddit and Twitter, but rarely are built on in Instagram itself. Stage 2 is the true beginning of the meme's journey: it is saved and posted to many other places online, often including Tumblr and iFunny, the worst places for the meme to be picked up, however they are crucial in the growth of the meme, spreading to the lowest points of the internet. Stage 3 can often start in the middle of stage 2: it is used in chat rooms and apps like Discord and Teamspeak. This boosts the growth of the meme to astronomic levels, as the meme is now used in a personal creative way or spread to large amounts of people through a lot of small groups. Stage 4 is the end of the road: after a specified amount of time (depending on how funny or well-used the meme was) the meme dies. It moves onto the afterlife by being posted to Facebook, or being reviewed by PewDiePie. On FB, the meme is laughed at by the elderly, and soon after becomes completely irrelevant and overshadowed by the next big meme. It must be noted that 4chan is secretly in every stage.