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Double Memes (Metamemes)

What this meme means

Image format popular on VKontakte where the feed preview hides a second, often unexpected frame that appears when you open the picture. Such images were reportedly made with the VkOpt plugin.

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Definition

Double memes, or metamemes, are an image format that spread on the social network VKontakte in the late 2010s. Such a picture consists of two layers: in the feed the user sees a preview, and only upon opening the full-size image does a different frame appear, usually containing a joke or an unexpected twist.

The word 'meta' in the name points to the fact that the joke concerns the very mechanics of the display: the viewer expects one thing and gets another. The format is close to the surprise genre and relies on users' habit of clicking on pictures to see their full version.

Mechanics of the format

The point of the format rests on expectation. The preview sets up one theme, and the full version flips it. Authors chose images so that the small picture looked neutral, serious, or just an ordinary photo, while the opened version provided contrast. Most often the preview retained a part of the frame from which the continuation could not be guessed.

Thanks to this design, the format worked well in the feed, where users quickly scrolled through posts. Opening the picture became a small action that was rewarded with a joke, which is why these memes often spread in private messages and on community walls.

Connection to VKontakte and VkOpt

According to the catalog's description, such memes were created using the VkOpt plugin — a browser extension that added extra functions to the VKontakte interface. It was through tools like this that users could work with images that displayed differently in the feed than at full size, which made the format possible.

The format's connection to this particular social network is explained by the fact that VKontakte's interface at the time displayed previews and full versions differently. No details about the exact mechanism of the plugin's operation were found in open sources, so they are not given here.

Image and caveat

The image attached to the article shows a frame from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation: two officers in red uniforms cover their faces with their hands, with the caption "When one is not enough" above them. This is an ordinary reaction image, not a double meme with a preview and a hidden frame.

The article describes the format based on the catalog's data and the post's tags. The image probably illustrates a different meme or was mistakenly attached to the entry. The editors recommend replacing the illustration with an example that actually has a preview and an opened frame.

Origin

The exact date the format appeared and its first author have not been established. According to the catalog, memes of this type date to 2017 and were discussed most actively in that period. The search did not turn up reliable sources about the format's first use.

The topic occasionally came up in material about VKontakte and about browser extensions, but without a detailed description of the mechanics. So the format's history in the article is limited to the date and its connection to the plugin, without further detail about its creators.