Here's why:
* Rickrolling: The act of sharing a link that appears to lead to something interesting, but instead redirects to the music video for Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up." It's a humorous prank that spreads virally across the internet.
* Lolcats: These are humorous images of cats with captions written in broken English or "lolspeak" (like "I can haz cheezburger?"). These images spread widely, generating amusement and inspiring variations.
Both examples fit the characteristics of an internet meme:
* Replication: They are easily shared and copied, often with slight variations.
* Spread: They gain popularity through online communities and social media platforms.
* Humor: They often use humor to make people laugh or connect with the joke.
* Ephemeral: They often have a limited lifespan, eventually fading in popularity as new memes emerge.
So, while they are different in their content and execution, both Rickrolling and lolcats are classic examples of internet memes that have captured the attention and imagination of online communities.