Image-Based Internet Memes as Conceptual Blends

The present text aims to discuss a certain kind of internet meme, construed here as an image macro, in the context of Conceptual Blending Theory (Fauconnier and Turner 2002). Image-based memes (image macros) that contain a verbal layer appear to be the most popular form of such memes. Their concise form demonstrates a creative potential: memes are packed with meaning, reflected in various conceptual packets integrated into their verbal and visual semiosis. Blending theory thus seems an appropriate framework for a discussion of the cognitive mechanisms of memes and the relation between the verbal and the visual, as well as for tracing how the analogy between given domains/input spaces contributes to the effectiveness of a message.