Richard Dawkins' concept of a meme is much broader and more abstract, a self-perpetuating idea (that need not be graphical in nature.) The internet meme, while

Richard Dawkins' concept of a meme is much broader and more abstract, a self-perpetuating idea (that need not be graphical in nature.) The internet meme, while it still fits Dawkins' concept of a meme, is a distinctive phenomenon, and is essentially graffiti released from its former physical constraints, allowing it to spread virally, often without any clear reason behind its popularity. The Chad/Kilroy meme, because of its origins in worldwide troop movement during WWII which enhanced its spread, bears a striking resemblance to a modern internet meme for that reason.