10 Internet Memes And Their Cinematic Counterparts
Conclusion: The word meme has entered into the mainstream as a result of these popular captioned images, and as a result, its definition is misunderstood by some. A meme is any idea which can be passed along from person to person. Think of it like a gene for the abstract. While the occurrence of these captioned images is one example of a meme in action, a meme need not be a captioned image on the internet. It could be a religious belief, a hairstyle, a schoolyard game, even a hashtag on twitter anything that spreads from person to person. 
One interesting thought that did occur to me while compiling this list was how easily one could think of dozens of counterparts for each of these Internet Memes (please be my guest in the comments section). Characters from decades apart, characters perhaps older than film itself - maybe someone a little more scholarly could write 10 Internet Memes and their Shakespearian Counterparts. What I take from this, is that all stories are inherently derivative and repetitive, and that just as these captioned images are memes in that they are transferred and mutated from person to person, these archetypal characters in film and literature are also just examples of memes. Just as you might enjoy some Overly Attached Girlfriend joke, and then create and upload your own variation on the joke, so may one screenwriter or novelist borrow and remold characters from someone elses book or movie. These silly captioned images are the same thing, only on a smaller, quicker scale: just another branch (or twig) in the evolutionary tree of storytelling. Or there's every chance I'm seriously over-thinking this.