An abundance of Olympic memes already making an impact on Facebook

An Olympic Meme taken from Facebook.com

Before the dust had even settled on the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 London Olympic Games meme makers were well and truly doing what they do best, turning seemingly formal occasions into comical moments with clever captioning of images.

Memes are turning life into a series of comedic stories with their creativity and originality. Already several pages have been created to look at the lighter side of the Olympic Games, through pictures of true events with funny captions. However, the meme marketplace is not for everyone, it takes true creativity and quick thinking to be able to create a meme. It is incredibly surprising how many pages and communities there are on Facebook that advertise memes, allowing anyone with an idea to contribute to a page.

Feedback is probably one of the most important things that a meme maker can receive. It tells them about what others think about their work and can of course be both negative and positive. Memes are designed to make fun of events and people, yet can also have negative impacts for many people. Racist and sexist memes do appear on pages every now and then, putting the art of meme making into disrepute.

The people who make the pages on which the memes appear often do not tolerate memes representing others in a negative light. So memes really are just a way for people to come together online and reflect on events positively and with humour.

The fact that Olympic memes are already appearing on Facebook is no surprise, with tens of thousands of followers on different meme pages, looking for a laugh about what is arguably the most serious sporting event on Earth. There have already been many memes made about the Opening Ceremony, mostly concerning the Queen and her skydiving antics as well as her lack of ability to show any interest or excitement during the Ceremony. These memes will continue to grow in numbers and are becoming a huge part of Facebook and other social media sites, perhaps an opportunity knocks for people to one day make some money from these memes.

Olympics 2012: Michael Phelps dissappoints on Day 1

It was Michael Phelps' time to shine in the pool as he opened his Olympic campaign with the 400-metre  individual medley. Phelps was expected to dominate this race and qualify for a good lane in the 400-metre IM final. However, as the heat started and the swimmers got into a rhythm it was clear that Phelps was not dominating this race, swimming just ahead of Beijing silver-medalist Laszlo Cseh. Cseh took the lead and held it for a couple of laps before Phelps made a strong comeback in the freestyle leg to win the heat by the narrowest of margins. 

The fact that Phelps won the heat was no surprise, it was rather the time in which he won it that caused problems for him later on in the day. Phelps watched on as his qualifying time was beaten by seven other swimmers, putting him in an unfamiliar eighth lane for the final. Fellow USA countryman Ryan Lochte only just qualified for the final, finishing third fastest in his heat. However, Lochte then went on to dominate an event that he had previously won at the U.S. time trials, whilst Phelps could only manage fourth best from the outside lane, making this race the first time he had failed to medal in one of his Olympic events. Phelps was pipped at the post by Japan's Kosuke Hagino, losing the spot on the podium by 0.34 seconds. 

Phelps will be hungry to make amends in his next races after this poor performance. Meanwhile, Lochte will be hoping to keep up his impressive form throughout the Olympics. Lochte was in control right throughout the 400-metre IM final and at one stage looked as though he was going to break the world record, before slowing down on the final lap.

London 2012 Olympic Games starts with a bang

The London Olympic Games is sure to be remembered for incredible, seemingly superhuman achievements, with records set to be broken and legacies to be forged, all within the spirit of the Olympic Games. However, on Friday night in London the spotlight was well and truly on the ever-anticipated Opening Ceremony and it did not disappoint. 

The Opening Ceremony was highlighted by a classy James Bond sequence that ended spectacularly with a performer dressed as Queen Elizabeth II and James Bond parachuting out of a helicopter hovering above the stadium. In a scene that surely surprised many, Daniel Craig walked into Buckingham Palace all suited up as Bond, James Bond. He was then greeted by Queen Elizabeth II herself, before leading her to the helicopter from which professional stuntmen launched themselves before deploying parachutes. I believe it is safe to say that the world will never see something like that again.

It is hard to believe that as I write this, events are being run and medals are being won because the hype from the Ceremony is yet to subside. It was one massive party that never seemed like it was going to end and I think the organisers were aware of that, finishing proceedings rather abruptly.

Producer Danny Boyle did a great job recounting England's history, culture and humour in just 90 minutes. There were so many great parts of the night, including David Beckham, who looked more like a model for Hugo Boss in his immaculate suit, speeding along the River Thames in a speedboat. The boat sprayed colourful water behind it whilst carrying a flaming Olympic Torch, as it made it's way towards the stadium. The lighting of the cauldron may have caused some questions as young athletes hopeful to partake in the next Olympics were given the honour of collectively lighting the cauldron, many tubes which all came together to create a fancy cauldron. 

There was a comedic skit by Rowan Atkinson, playing Mr. Bean and a brilliant closing performance from Paul McCartney.

It really was a Ceremony of elegance, a true piece of theatre that will surely be remembered as one of the best yet.