# What's the oldest internet meme you can remember seeing/hearing?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 16, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990 "2014-01-16T19:17:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![zlexiss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecae2f/32.png) [@zlexiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zlexiss)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/101 "2014-01-25T14:28:46Z")

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Off the top of my head, limiting to web browsers versus chain emails, “the really big button that doesn’t do anything” 1994.

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**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2014, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/102 "2014-01-26T12:12:13Z")

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No love for the rickroll?

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**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2014, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/103 "2014-01-26T13:41:12Z")

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> [@The\_Librarian](#):
>
> No love for the rickroll?

I wouldn’t call it love, but I do think it was nowhere near the first I can “recall” (since my accuracy of recall is severely in question) in the way of what I still want to regard as “memes” as opposed to viral videos. In this particular case it was the extra effort people went to in order to make Rick’s appearance be as big a jolt as they could muster. The song is catchy in a kitschy kind of way and I actually like the structure of the video with all the changes of clothes and sets and accompanying cast.

I know it’s true in my case and I wonder if others would do well, with no internet access to history of the web, in putting the things we’ve mentioned so far in this thread, along with the ones we haven’t yet, in a strict chronological order. I could be off by at least five and more likely ten or more years in every case. But I would be shocked if the rickroll was anywhere near the oldest.

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**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-oldest-internet-meme-you-can-remember-seeing-hearing/678990/104 "2014-01-27T08:27:12Z")

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“All Your Base Are Belong To Us.”

(I got here a little late. 1998.)

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