Memes, the internet's favourite way to spread culture and ideas, have a new home online thanks to the launch of Google's new top-level .meme domain.
Google Registry recently announced that the new .meme domain will be publicly available from December 5 at a base annual price.
Early adopters can secure a .meme domain before then as part of Google’s Early Access Period (EAP), but this will require an “additional one-time fee” that will decrease on a daily basis until the domain is publicly launched.
Early adopters meme business
As part of the announcement, Google highlighted six early adopters of the .meme domain. Partners include meme trend website Know Your Meme, premier meme clearinghouse License.Meme and (perhaps unsurprisingly) a host of cat meme sites including Grumpy Cat, Nyan Cat, and CAT.MEME.
"Memes are the embodiment of internet culture, having captured the eyeballs, hearts and minds of millions of people," Christina Yeh from Google's Registry Team wrote in a blog post announcing the news.
"Whether you're sharing a relatable scenario, capturing a feeling that's difficult to express with just words, relishing in sheer randomness or even trying to start a social movement, we can't wait to see how you'll use .meme to express yourself."
The announcement highlights the rise of internet culture as a commodity. It also follows wider industry trends for making website creation more accessible and customizable, marked by the growing popularity of drag-and-drop website builders and other recent domain launches including .ing, .dad and .esq.
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