The Still Image Digital Archive of Memes (SIDAM) aims to preserve and provide access to one of the most culturally significant user creations on the Internet. This endeavor will explore and deliver the best ways to search and understand static image captioned memes in the context of how they were and are presented. Because of the widespread interest in the content we would like to present, one of our priorities is to consider every kind of researcher who would want to use our materials, anticipating their diverse needs. Pop culture is a growing area of interest for research of different kinds. It can be difficult area of research, because organized resources can be scarce, and pop culture is always evolving. We hope to alleviate some of the difficulty by creating a consistent, regularly updated archive designed to assist researchers of all kinds.

Users of this collection may vary greatly, as memes are used in many ways. They can serve either personal or professional interests depending on the individual. Researchers in the humanities, social sciences, and information sciences would benefit from a resource like this. Bloggers, social commentators, and pop culture enthusiasts can also use these to fulfill their needs as well. Because memes are user-generated, the general public may consult them as people reuse them on personal blogs and through texting and RSS feeds across the globe. Even those exploring the political climate of a country or surrounding regions may look to memes to gauge the voice of the public. The user audience of this archive is diverse and huge, matching the size and variety of this collection’s content.