Memeing In Video
Montages which have many genres and microgenres have become one of the most popular video memes by the personal form. For example, YTP which originated at the dawn of YouTube (and in fact, even earlier, in 2004). Since then, each "era" had its own dominant genre of montages, such as Montage Parodies with their MLG styling and Replacement Remixes (which is considered as a subgenre of YTP). By the classification these genres can be either style or template-style memes. More diverse montages that don't obey the templates I combine in the genre of "original montages". They are made by the most popular video memers: Grandayy and Dolan Dark.
In general, when people speak about modern video memes, they firstly imply these two. Personally, I think that they create exclusively quality content, but in fact, they just exist due to popular memes, picking up fresh trends and happenings. This doesn't make their videos worse, those are just the reflection of popular part of meme culture, its "screen version". In my opinion, however, with their reputation and experience they could easily create own memes. Grandayy's appearance even is a mix of various well-known elements: a note block, Geralt, and Robbie Rotten. On the other hand, he is a talented musician whose content surely has soul. Even despite the fact that all this situation seems like an oligopoly in terms of meme industry, there are many not less quality channels that found their place in the niche of "original montages". That is, for example, ZimoNitrome with his Wednesday epopee and other works. More surreal content is being created by such YouTubers as BagelBoy and Timotainment, while Surreal Entertainment, Pamtri, and Cyber8 do almost the same but in the format of 3D renders. Someone works in the field of "ironic shitposts": these are Memetastic who experiments with genres and is beyond any limits, WillMakeMemes4Food, and Sethical with the plot videos. You cannot forget Joe Capo, the author of legendary Öats and Dragon Ball X sagas, as well as a pile of videos of varying levels of genius. Speaking of "screen versions", the aesthetic of 4chan is worth mentioning too, because it's being developed by the real masters Bizonacci and Prince of Zimbabwe in their conceptual video memes. Curiously enough that genre of meme compilations (Vines/WEBMs/cursed photos/etc.), which has gained popularity nowadays, is also a part of the montages.
There are, actually, those who have their personal and unique style of memes and memeing. I talk, in particular, about Lumpy Touch, the real discovery of 2018. He had become popular after his GBA adaptation of Creepy Garfield, and since then Lumpy have been adjusting any phenomena under his style and also creating new ones, which gives his content an absolute originality, forming the mythology of the channel, the essential aspect of personalization. Easily recognizable aesthetics, high quality of videos, simplicity, outstanding productivity, and interaction with the audience make Lumpy one of the most perspective and significant content makers on YouTube at the moment.
Synthesis of video and audio memes is also a thing. As a result, such types as video-audio memes and audio-video memes were born. The first type is tied primarily to the sound; the video sequence in them is secondary (in most cases it represents a still picture and exists only because of the technical requirements of YouTube). The second one relies on visuals (as an example, the 1886 channel, overlaying songs on cursed photos and videos). There are several genres of video-audio memes, including Edited Audio ("Song is playing in X"), the songs with the effects that provide a certain atmosphere. However, originally they have been pure audio memes on Tumblr and only in 2017 have acquired video forms, finally getting to YouTube. Howbeit, the most notable content makers here are Cecil Robert, Allyson M., and Aanders Bremseth. Due to the development of the concept of unique experience in similar memes (which begins with its first mememe on Tumblr), the so-called Nostalgic ASMRs/Soundscapes ("You're doing X while Y") came to life. The video "Playing MW2 late at night in 2009 while your parents fight about your mom having an affair" (which has already brought the genre to the point of absurdity via its deliberately dark vibes) by WahlTV is considered the first full representative of this kind of memes. The most popular submeme of the genre is "your family is asleep and you’re playing minecraft on a cool 2012 summer night" by rye - chip which caused many Internet users to relive exceptionally warm feelings about their childhood and youth (including me), causing them to make more nostalgic or related content. In general, despite the fact that these video memes are really easy to make, they are able to reflect special atmosphere and feelings, as well as to share the personal experience with others and find a response, which is one of the most important functions of memes. Further evolution of an extensive genre of ASMR Roleplays as such has led to the appearance of new genre: "House Break-in ASMR" when various fictional characters from Goku to Gorefild are attempting to enter the listener's house. By the way, I have also tried to create video memes, releasing several "trilogies" in different genres: Void memes, Gondola memes, two trilogies of Edited Audio, and, finally, Nostalgic ASMRs.
Going in the direction of audio, I would mention musical memes and music. For example, in the beginning of 2019, "Doomer music playlists" (though there are variations on Boomer, Bloomer, and even Zoomer), a sort of a mixture of 4chan aesthetics, compilations, and audio, became very popular. From the mashuppers/SoundClown artists one can distinguish Cyranek. Also, there is a microgenre of "music baits" which has been founded by SiIvaGunner. His Russian equivalent is the channel EE ROCKK. "Traditional" musicians also thrive on YouTube: these are Rob Scallon, Lord Vinheteiro, kmac2021, unsurpassed king of bass Davie504, great and terrible Seth Everman, FrankJavCee, and many others.
If you move away from creating memes to their description and exploration, here, besides the channels of Meme Insider and Philosopher's Meme, you may probably know about Internet Historian, covering various events in digital world, and Lessons in Meme Culture who is known for his brief but constructive meme reviews.
Despite the fact that YouTube has grown from a simple home video hosting into a powerful transmitter of opinions and cradle of scandals and dramas, turning into the TV of 21st century, there is a plenty of independent content makers that create video for every taste, thus forming the image of our time. All in all, video memes are developing not less dramatically than pictures, maybe even more rapidly: every year more and more genres and phenomena appear. It is noteworthy that recently videos are beginning to push out GIFs which have always been a kind of transitional stage between images and videos. Who knows what would happen next, in the case of success of Mixed Reality or new 360° technology. It's possible that someday video memes will flow into fully interactive memes that inaugurate the coming of a new meme era.
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