In his article “Crisis Memes,” Sean Rintel defines a crisis meme as something (usually a “ghoulish” image, video, gif, or twitter hash-tag) that arises simultaneously with “serious journalistic reportage” to satirize an event such as a natural disaster, a terrorist attack, or a political feud. According to Rintel, producers of crisis memes fall into three categories; people concerned with “displays of good citizenship,” “political critique,” or “social activism and advocacy.” Although crisis memes often contain shocking content, Rintel suggests that the power of crisis memes exists not in their content, but rather in their ability to act as a “public voice” unconstrained by the regulations of “traditional media.”

Below is a crisis meme showing “Strutting Leo” in the midst of a tsunami.

Image: http://www.eldesblogue.com/mis-memes-favoritos-strutting-leo.html/dicaprio-meme-tsunami

Rintel, Sean.  ”Crisis Memes: The Importance of Templatability to Internet Culture and Freedom of Expression.” Australasian Journal of Popular Culture 2 (2). <http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-Journal,id=202/>