culture - Deltafsociety/internet-culture GitHub Wiki

Culture

Internet culture includes the shared practices, behaviors, language, and creative forms that emerge in online environments. It evolves rapidly and differs widely between platforms, communities, and generations. Understanding online culture involves looking at how people create content, share it, remix it, and communicate through platform-specific signals.

Memes

What memes are

  • cultural units such as images, jokes, videos, phrases, or reaction templates
  • spread from person to person
  • change as different communities adapt them

Key characteristics

  • Remixability: same template, new twist
  • Inside jokes: depend on shared knowledge
  • Fast evolution: trends shift in days or weeks
  • Layered humor: irony, surrealism, self-reference

Why memes spread

  • easy to recognize
  • relatable
  • act as social currency
  • fun to reuse and remix
  • can comment on anything (politics, emotions, daily life)

Internet Subcultures

What they are

Groups formed around shared interests or identities. Each develops its own tone, vocabulary, humor, and rules.

Examples

  • fandoms
  • gaming communities
  • aesthetic communities (vaporwave, cottagecore)
  • tech or coding groups
  • art communities
  • meme communities
  • lifestyle niches (fitness, minimalism, etc.)

What defines a subculture

  • shared slang
  • in-jokes
  • preferred platforms
  • strong group identity
  • recognizable visual style
  • overlapping memberships across communities

Platform Cultures

Each platform has its own micro culture shaped by design and community norms.

Reddit

  • topic-based communities
  • upvotes and downvotes steer visibility
  • discussions can be long and detailed
  • mostly anonymous

TikTok

  • short videos
  • fast-moving challenges and trends
  • humor depends on audio and editing
  • algorithm rapidly introduces new subcultures

Twitter / X

  • short, quick updates
  • mix of news, jokes, fandom, and arguments
  • features like ratios, threads, and quote tweets shape behavior

Discord

  • private or semi-private servers
  • continuous group chat style
  • rules vary by server
  • feels intimate and community-driven

Tumblr

  • strong fandom presence
  • reblog chains add creativity
  • surreal and ironic humor
  • long-running inside jokes

Virality

What causes content to go viral

  • emotional reaction (funny, cute, shocking, relatable)
  • novelty
  • easy sharing
  • good timing
  • algorithm boosts
  • community participation

Virality can be intentional or accidental.

Remix Culture

Forms of remixing

  • meme templates
  • video edits
  • TikTok audio remixes
  • redrawing or rewriting concepts
  • collaborative story chains
  • adding reaction images to screenshots

Remixing is a major engine of creativity online.

Language and Slang

Types of online language

  • Acronyms: LOL, TBH, IIRC
  • Slang: based, simp, lowkey, vibe check
  • Altered spellings: thicc, smol, yass
  • Community-specific terms: fandom words, subreddit jargon
  • Irony layers: statements that mix seriousness and humor

Slang spreads quickly and often enters everyday speech.

Community Norms and Values

Common values

  • shared interests
  • participation through likes, comments, reposts
  • humor and cleverness
  • evidence or sourcing in tech/science groups
  • identity expression in aesthetic or fandom spaces

Norms differ by platform and community.

Aesthetics

Popular internet aesthetics

  • vaporwave
  • dark academia
  • cottagecore
  • grunge revival
  • Y2K revival

These combine art, themes, colors, and mood, often spreading on Tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram.

Cycles and Evolution

Most trends follow a pattern:

  • niche origin
  • mainstream spread
  • saturation
  • ironic revival or burnout
  • fading out

Some cycles last months, others last days.

Social Signals and Relationship Meaning

Online actions often carry social meaning. Because interactions are public and easily tracked, behaviors can feel emotionally significant.

When someone comments multiple positive comments

  • often interpreted as friendliness or bestie behavior
  • shows visible support
  • boosts algorithm visibility
  • feels like closeness, even if people barely know each other

Liking every post

  • signals support or attention
  • suggests friendliness, interest, or admiration

Following and unfollowing

  • Following: connection or interest
  • Unfollowing: distance, drifting apart, or changing social circles Even when unintentional, unfollowing is often read as personal.

Blocking

  • strong signal that contact is not wanted
  • sets a clear boundary
  • often seen as the end of a relationship or interaction

Removing followers on Instagram

  • gentler than blocking
  • usually means wanting distance or privacy
  • communicates the relationship is no longer close

Not responding to messages (ghosting)

  • interpreted as loss of interest, avoidance, or being busy
  • silence feels meaningful because online communication is fast-paced

Story views and engagement patterns

People sometimes read meaning into:

  • who views or stops viewing
  • who suddenly interacts more or less
  • who replies to stories but not posts These patterns are treated like digital social clues.

Public vs private interactions

  • Public interactions (likes, comments): friendliness or support
  • Private interactions (DMs): deeper connection or personal interest
  • No interaction: distance or unfamiliarity

These actions form a type of digital body language.