For some, the 2010s remain the golden age – a time before feeds calcified and content became industrial. TikTok’s “Great Meme Reset Of 2026” taps into that longing, calling for a return to something “dank” and less forced.
As WIRED reports, the implication is clear: memes have lost something. AI-slop, algorithmic churn, brainrot, the weight of brands trying too hard – all have reduced the quality of today’s meme stock, making older memes more culturally valuable. But memes were never meant to be stable. They began in the margins – forums, subcultures, inside jokes – and now sit at the centre of culture itself.
Join us on 28th April for a lively discussion with a panel spanning culture, strategy and the internet’s more chaotic corners to explore how memes shape meaning, how they drift and whether – in this phase of their evolution – they still matter.
Protein
Protein
Charles Weak
Protein
Willem Deisinger
Alexi Gunner
Protein
Philip Teale
SEED CLUB is our decentralised research community where 400+ handpicked strategists, journalists, and cultural curators sow and grow all the SEEDS every day - identifying, analysing and explaining signals in culture. As a contributor you also have the opportunity to collaborate with Protein AGENCY on client projects as well as connect and learn from an incredibly diverse, smart and entertaining group of humans. Apply to join here.
