Digital smile: The entertaining fake behind the "I'm Literally the Guy in the Pic" meme

Memes on social media – they have taken their place. That's a good thing, because they're fun. Not only are they humorous or satirical elements, but they also help shape our digital culture. One meme that has created a lot of buzz on Twitter is the famous "I'm Literally the Guy in the Pic" meme. But is it fake or fact? Here we present the comprehensive fact check.

The solution is quite simple because the website www.knowyourmeme.com has already deciphered the origin of the meme. Lo and behold, it's an edited image. The image even has a story that goes back several years. This story is humorous in the end because parts of it are real, but unfortunately it has been slightly changed.

“I’m Literally the Guy in the Pic” and “Why Can’t I Find a Guy Like This?”

The "I'm Literally the Guy in the Pic" meme, also known as "Why Can't I Find a Guy Like This?", is based on a Twitter exchange between users @reganslatic and @McCartyConnor. This exchange took place on September 6, 2016, after @reganslatic tweeted a photo of a young man with hearts on his head back in December 2014. The accompanying text was “Why can’t I find a guy like this ugh”.

@McCartyConnor responded to this tweet with a simple “Hey,” to which @reganslatic responded with a curt “No.” Then @McCartyConnor put the legendary words into the Twitter world: “I’m literally the guy in the picture.”

In fact, this meme was subsequently edited and is now in circulation again, and is actually very relevant. It's a humorous manipulation of the original conversation. The fact that @McCartyConnor identified himself as "the guy in the picture" got a lot of laughs and became the focal point of the meme. The subsequent edits to this meme only increased its entertainment value.

Well, it's not a bad fake and this fact check should only be seen as an informative side note. This meme, although a humorous fake, does not now pose a serious threat to society. On the contrary, it highlights the playful nature of online interactions and shows how we can laugh together and have fun over harmless jokes.

Entertainment ahead!

Memes, although often fictional, play a large role on social media by providing humorous and accessible ways to communicate and interact. They are a part of digital storytelling (digital storytelling is the use of digital media and technologies to tell stories in an interactive and engaging way), but also a way to easily visualize complex content so that it can be easily distributed. Or at the end just to entertain.

The “I'm Literally the Guy in the Pic” meme is indeed a humorous fake that is primarily intended for entertainment. It highlights the creativity and humor expressed in online communication. It's simply the result of post-editing an actual Twitter conversation.

Mimikama.education can impart media literacy through targeted lectures and workshops in the context of the topic “ Digital Smiling: The Entertaining Fake Behind the “I'm Literally the Guy in the Pic” Meme ”.

Various target groups such as students, teachers and parents can be reached and sensitized. How do search engines work? How can I search images? These techniques are particularly helpful for exposing fakes, hoaxes or dangerous hoaxes.

You can find all of Mimikama's current fact checks at Mimikama Fact Checks .