1. Affected with sudden and great confusion as a result of contact with an Internet meme or Internet
memes
2. Lacking in understanding of Internet
memes, often as a result of generational difference and/or disinclination to engage with the memescape.
Etymology: A fusion of the words "meme" and "found," memefounded has origins in the Greek mimema “something imitated” and the Latin fundere “to pour” and echoes its cognate confounded (also see dumbfounded).
This neologism was created at UC Berkeley for the university'
s Fiat Luxicon sponsored by the SLC Writing Program.
Memefounded fills a niche created by the
Internet, bringing attention to generational differences in culture and hopefully inspiring more Boomer, GenX, and Millennials to
wade into the digital waters and
study memes, as students do in a
CW R4B course: "The Meme and the Human: Digital Literacies." Imagine someone seeing the Gru’
s Plan meme and saying to a friend, “I’m memefounded!” then going to check it out at Know Your Meme or elsewhere, starting an intergenerational dialogue with Gen Zers (iGeners).
The digital content on the UC Berkeley
Memes for Edgy Teens Facebook page leaves many Boomer, GenX, and
even Millennial faculty, staff, and others memefounded.