It is what it is meme origin

Q: Where does it is what it is meme come from?

Where did the it is what it is” meme come from? According to KnowYourMeme, the first recorded use of the video was when it was uploaded to YouTube. Posted in December 2019, it referred to the video as a meme despite there being no apparent earlier use of the video elsewhere.

Q: Who invented the meme?

Richard Dawkins coined the word meme in his 1976 bestseller The Selfish Gene.

Q: What is meme culture?

By Dawkins definition, memes are cultural ideas that spread and repeat themselves across society. Add the Internet and an evolving sense of humour, and you have the Internet meme: a vessel of communication, a signifier of the comedic zeitgeist, and a device for channelling the inherent anxieties of youth.

About

It Is What It Is refers to a viral video of a teenager laughing and saying "It is what it is," with his friends repeating the phrase after him. In March 2020, the video gained popularity in lipsync memes on TikTok, with the video also being used as in reaction memes on Instagram. The video is often used to express satisfaction with an imperfect opportunity or a result.

Índice Show

Various Examples
Search Interest
External References
Where does it is what it is meme come from?
What is the meaning of it is what it is meme?
Who invented the meme?
What is meme culture?

Origin

The exact origin of the video is unknown. On December 18th, 2019, YouTube[1] user Dr Prominent reposted a video of a teen laughing and saying "It is what it is" with an African accent, with a group of teens standing near also laughing and repeating the phrase after him. The video received over 352,700 views on YouTube in four months (shown below).

- It is what it is.
- It is what it is!

Spread

The video did not see use as a meme until on March 4th, 2020, TikTok[2] user @thehodgmeister posted a meme based on it, gaining over 182,400 likes in two weeks (shown below).

In the following days, the video gained a significant spread on TikTok, particularly as an exploitable for lipsync memes. For example, on March 6th, 2020, TikTok[3] user @elite.oliver posted a video that received over 212,000 likes in two weeks (shown below, left). A March 7th TikTok[4] by user @ryansliptongreentea accumulated over 168,000 likes in the same period (shown below, center). On March 8th TikTok[5] user @pplicker28 posted a meme that received over 310,400 likes. In many edits, a clone effect has been utilized by users for comical effect.

Starting on March 7th, 2020, the video also gained popularity in reaction memes on Instagram. For example, a March 7th meme by Instagram[6] user memeprotector reeived over 9,800 views and 2,900 likes in two weeks (shown below, left). A March 14th Toilet Paper Crisis meme by Instagram[7] user nova_xeno received over 52,700 views and 15,900 likes in five days (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References

Where does it is what it is meme come from?

Where did the “it is what it is” meme come from? According to KnowYourMeme, the first recorded use of the video was when it was uploaded to YouTube. Posted in December 2019, it referred to the video as a meme despite there being no apparent earlier use of the video elsewhere.

What is the meaning of it is what it is meme?

What does it is what it is mean? Deal with it. It is what it is is an expression used to characterize a frustrating or challenging situation that a person believes cannot be changed and must just be accepted.

Who invented the meme?

Richard Dawkins coined the word "meme" in his 1976 bestseller The Selfish Gene.

What is meme culture?

By Dawkins' definition, memes are cultural ideas that spread and repeat themselves across society. Add the Internet and an evolving sense of humour, and you have the Internet meme: a vessel of communication, a signifier of the comedic zeitgeist, and a device for channelling the inherent anxieties of youth.

meme origin