Tomemlike

Tomemlike is a term used in discussions of internet culture to describe a style of content that fuses meme formats with autobiographical memory or personal narrative. In tomemlike work, images, captions, and sometimes video are arranged to evoke a memory while leveraging a familiar meme framework, allowing the creator to comment on memory, identity, and social moments through humor.

The origin of the word is uncertain. It is commonly treated as a portmanteau or blend of elements such as “to me” and “meme,” or as a deliberate misspelling of “meme-like” that reflects digital discourse’s tendency to mutate language. The term began circulating in online discussions in the early 2020s and has since appeared in analyses of contemporary memetic culture.

Tomemlike content often uses short, captioned images or format templates (such as image macros, reaction gifs, or short videos) that pair a personal memory with a meme frame. Posts may invite audience participation by asking readers to substitute memories or to remix the format. The term can function as an adjective (tomemlike post), a noun (a tomemlike), or a verb (to tomemlike).

Scholars of digital culture describe tomemlike as illustrating how memory and social identity are negotiated in online spaces. Critics note that it can be insular or self-referential, while supporters see it as a means of democratizing storytelling and digital memory. Notable examples are widely shared within niche online communities, though the term remains relatively specialized outside those discussions. See also: meme, memetics, online culture.