block of text that is copied and pasted across the Internet by individuals through online forums and social networking websites. Copypastas are said to be similar to spam[1] as they are often used to annoy other users, disrupt online discourse, or to be humorous.
History
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The word "copypasta" was first used on Usenet groups in 2006.[2]
Etymology
The term "copypasta" is derived from the computer term "copy/paste", and can be traced back to an anonymous 4chan thread from 2006.[1][3]
Examples
Navy Seal
The Navy Seal copypasta is a lengthy, comically written, aggressive attack paragraph against a "kiddo", written in the voice of the stereotypical "tough guy", listing absurd accomplishments such as having "over 300 confirmed kills" and being "trained in gorilla [sic] warfare". This copypasta is often reposted as a humorous overreaction to an insult and is thought to have originated in a post on a 4chan message board from 11 November 2010.[4]
This copypasta is in the manifesto of the perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque shootings.[5]
Bee Movie
Main article: Bee Movie § Legacy
The Bee Movie copypasta started in 2013 when users posted its entire script onto websites such as Reddit and Tumblr.[6] It was popularized when edits of the film were first uploaded to KZfaq in late 2016.[7]
"A Drive Into Deep Left Field by Castellanos"
Main article: A drive into deep left field by Castellanos
On 19 August 2020, during a Major League Baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals, Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman uttered a homophobic slur on a hot mic. Later in the broadcast, Brennaman apologized to listeners. Mid-apology, Nick Castellanos hit a home run, and Brennaman broke from his apology to deliver the play-by-play.[8] Brennaman said, "I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith, as there's a drive into deep left field by Castellanos, it will be a home run. And so that'll make it a 4-0 ballgame." The moment became an internet meme as a copypasta. ESPN's Pablo Torre later said it "was like listening to the band play on as the Titanic was sinking. Except the band was also somehow the iceberg."[9]
Technology
Copypasta can refer to a piece of code that was copy/pasted. Discussions of copypasta can be found in the code history of Linux, e.g.: "This very much looks like copypasta"[10] (this looks like copy/pasted code and was not originally authored) and "Copypasta mistake"[11] (this code was copy/pasted and not correctly amended).
See also
Look up copypasta in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Creepypasta, brief, user-generated, paranormal stories intended to scare readers
Chain letter
Faxlore, similar content circulated by fax machine
Know Your Meme, a website and video series which researches and documents the history of copypastas and similar content
Running gag, a recurring joke
Snowclone, a cliché and phrasal template that can be used and recognized in multiple variants
Shitposting, the practice of posting intentionally low-quality or provocative content to troll or solicit reactions from others
References