The concept of the Meme Economy originated from various online forums and social media platforms. Reddit's r/MemeEconomy is one of the most well-known communities where users "invest" in memes by predicting which ones will become popular. This subreddit uses terminology from the financial world, such as "buying," "selling," "stocks," and "market trends," to describe the rise and fall of memes.

In the Meme Economy, users act like traders, speculating on the potential virality of memes. They discuss which memes are "hot" or "cold," similar to how investors talk about stocks. Users "buy" memes by upvoting or sharing them, hoping to increase their visibility and popularity. Conversely, they "sell" memes by downvoting or ignoring them, contributing to their decline.

The Meme Economy adopts various financial terms:

Bull Market: When memes are experiencing a surge in popularity.

Bear Market: When memes are declining in popularity.

Pump and Dump: Coordinated efforts to inflate the popularity of a meme before quickly abandoning it.

Diversification: Investing in multiple memes to spread risk, similar to diversifying an investment portfolio.

The Meme Economy influences meme culture by creating a competitive environment where the value of a meme is tied to its potential virality. This gamification of meme sharing encourages creativity and strategic thinking. Users must consider timing, audience, and current trends to predict which memes will "take off."

Certain memes have seen significant "returns" in the Meme Economy. For instance, the "Distracted Boyfriend" meme became highly popular and was widely "invested" in by users. Its relatable and versatile format made it a high-value meme in the community.

While the Meme Economy is largely humorous, it faces criticism for potentially encouraging the spread of low-quality or offensive content in the pursuit of virality. The competitive nature can sometimes overshadow the original intent of memes as simple, spontaneous expressions of humor.

The Meme Economy continues to evolve with internet culture. As social media platforms grow and new forms of content emerge, the Meme Economy adapts, incorporating these changes into its speculative framework. The introduction of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) has also added a new layer, allowing memes to be bought, sold, and traded as digital assets.