How I stay young
Memes for ImDontai - the real fountain of youth
Subway rides to write: 4
As someone in social media, one of my biggest fears is becoming out of touch with trends and cultural moments.
But I don’t enjoy endlessly scrolling on my phone to stay up to date.
And I don’t really want to learn about trends from a “Gen-Z” newsletter lol.
Instead, I stay young by watching a YouTube compilation called Memes for ImDontai.
This probably sounds like another language, so let me explain…
…or watch one of the vids haha.
Who is ImDontai?
ImDontai is a streamer who has millions followers.
He’s been creating content since 2015 and mainly livestreams himself (1) listening to music, (2) playing video games, and (3) reacting to other videos.
He’s even become a household name in the music/streaming industry as many top artists eagerly wait to hear his thoughts on their music.
For example, The Kid Laroi jumped on a video to share new music and get Dontai’s reaction.
ImDontai streams usually last for several hours.
But since people are busy, a lot majority of viewers (like me) are not going to sit and watch the entire thing.
So, he posts segments of the stream on YouTube.
And reacting to Memes for ImDontai is his top segment.
What is Memes for ImDontai?
This is a compilation with funny videos (memes) that are customized for ImDontai.
There have been almost 200 volumes of Memes for ImDontai (current at vol.184)
His reactions to these compilations are consistently the most viewed series on the channel—garnering hundreds of thousands of views.
I don’t know the exact backstory of how it started, but it was created by an anonymous fan.
My guess is that this fan wanted to make something for ImDontai to watch on stream.
So, they started making meme compilations that matched ImDontai’s type of humor.
And then marketed it as “Memes for ImDontai” to get his attention.
Genius way to get someone’s attention btw…
I would 100% watch a video titled “Memes for Regular Hoops” rather than “Funny Basketball Memes.”
(This is a good example of Level 1000 networking… remember, add tangible value)
Memes of ImDontai Universe
To me, the most interesting part of the series comes down to two things
The subculture that’s formed
How viewers consume the content
Subculture
Memes for ImDontai is its own mini-world.
It feels exclusive for ImDontai viewers.
These viewers are in on things that most people wouldn’t understand.
Like they’re in on an inside joke.
People in comments of other videos will be like,
“this is going in memes for ImDontai”
This allows the ImDontai community to unite beyond an ImDontai video and/or livestream.
Additionally, viewers understand the flow of the compilation now.
For example, the last video in every compilation is a TraRags video.
So whenever that video starts playing, the audience and Dontai realize the compilation is coming to an end
They also know the dark humor coming from TraRays—which he’s even acknowledged haha.
If you were to watch a video for the first time, you probably wouldn’t notice those traits.
Consumption
The craziest part of all this is how people consume Memes for ImDontai…
People don’t actually watch a Memes for ImDontai video itself lol…
They watch ImDontai REACTING to Memes for ImDontai.
Idk why, but I just find that amazing… there’s something beautiful about that.
S/o to the internet.
Why do I like it?
Watching this 20-30 minute compilation around 1-2x month keeps me connected to meme culture.
Without it, I’d truly be out of touch.
I’d basically become a boomer.
It’s also the perfect video to watch while eating.
You can turn your brain off and get a good laugh in.
Hopefully “Memes for Regular Hoops” could be a thing…
…but that means I’d have to be a streamer.
W or L, chat?
“Subway rides to write this” is a metric I share at the start of every blog to show that making content doesn’t need to be so difficult. You can find the time to create during everyday activities.
Each subway ride for me is ~15-30 minutes long.
Also…
Please note: some of my new blogs (started Sept’24) contain a lot of satire and should not always be taken at face value.
Expect to see typos, wordy/repetitive sentences, passive voice, and anything else you’d expect from a “D-” graded high school assignment.
Because that’s my writing ability according to my first ever hate comment back in 2018.