Cheezburger Network

Cheezburger Network
Sage Ross · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Cheezburger Network
Type	Private
Industry	Internet media
Founded	2007
Founders	Ben Huh; Eric Nakagawa
Headquarters	Seattle, Washington, United States
Products	Memes; image macros; listicles; videos
Num employees	100 (2016)

Cheezburger Network is an internet media company founded in 2007 that curated and produced user-submitted humorous images, memes, image macros, and listicles. The company emerged from early viral communities and intersected with platforms such as Reddit, 4chan, YouTube, Tumblr, and Facebook during the rise of social media in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Its properties influenced online humor culture alongside sites like The Onion, BuzzFeed, Funny or Die, CollegeHumor, and Flickr.

History

The company was started in 2007 by entrepreneurs Ben Huh and Eric Nakagawa after the success of a single viral image, drawing connections with pioneers of internet virality such as Darren DeWolfe, David Galbraith, and communities around Something Awful and 4chan. Early growth tracked the contemporaneous expansion of Myspace, Facebook, and Reddit as distribution channels, while legal and cultural debates echoed precedents from Viacom v. YouTube and disputes involving Lenz v. Universal Music Corp.. Investment and acquisition activity linked the company to venture capital trends exemplified by firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Benchmark Capital, and to consolidation moves similar to AOL's and Yahoo!'s strategies. Over time the network absorbed or created properties paralleling Know Your Meme, I Can Has Cheezburger?, FAIL Blog, and Memebase, amid shifts in online advertising caused by changes at Google and Facebook.

Sites and content formats

The network operated multiple verticals with formats comparable to offerings from BuzzFeed lists, HuffPost articles, and Gawker commentary. Flagship sites included humor aggregators similar in spirit to I Can Has Cheezburger? and Memebase, galleries akin to Imgur and Flickr, and video channels akin to YouTube creators and Vimeo publishers. Content formats spanned image macros popularized by communities around Know Your Meme and 4chan, GIFs reminiscent of Tumblr reblogs, listicles in the style of BuzzFeed, .gif compilations comparable to CollegeHumor sketches, and short-form video comparable to Funny or Die and early Vine clips. The network also hosted theme-based sites comparable to FAIL Blog's compilations and topical verticals similar to Lifehacker and Cracked.

Business model and ownership

Revenue strategies reflected industry patterns seen at BuzzFeed, HuffPost, Vox Media, and Gawker Media, relying on display advertising, branded content deals like those brokered by GroupM and WPP, and licensing agreements reminiscent of arrangements seen with Getty Images and Associated Press. The company underwent investment and corporate transactions comparable to the acquisition activity of IAC, AOL, and Time Inc., and navigated marketplace pressures following shifts at Google AdSense and Facebook Audience Network. Ownership changes and strategic pivots paralleled moves by companies such as Zillow and TripAdvisor, and were influenced by monetization experiments similar to those undertaken by Business Insider and The New York Times Company in their digital transformations.

User community and moderation

Community dynamics resembled those of Reddit subcommunities, Something Awful forums, and fan-run sites like Urban Dictionary and Know Your Meme, with user submissions, comments, and voting mechanics. Moderation practices corresponded to policies under scrutiny in cases like Viacom v. YouTube and content moderation debates involving Twitter and Facebook, balancing user expression with copyright considerations highlighted in Lenz v. Universal Music Corp. and trademark disputes paralleling matters before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Community governance adapted techniques similar to those used by Stack Overflow and forum moderators on Reddit to manage abusive content, spam, and copyright takedowns.

Cultural impact and reception

The network influenced meme dissemination and vernacular humor in ways comparable to cultural phenomena documented by Know Your Meme, academic work at institutions like MIT and Stanford University, and journalistic coverage in outlets such as The New York Times, Wired, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, and The Atlantic. Its role in mainstreaming image macros and LOLcat aesthetics paralleled the spread of internet phenomena like Rickrolling, Doge, and Distracted Boyfriend (meme), and contributed to conversations about authorship and remix culture similar to debates surrounding Copyright Term Extension Act and sampling controversies in Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.. Reception included both praise for democratizing humor and criticism about commercialization of grassroots meme culture, mirroring critiques leveled at BuzzFeed and HuffPost regarding listicle-driven media and engagement metrics.

Category:Internet culture Category:American websites Category:Online communities