"Scumbag Steve" and how we communicate through memes

Memes. They're everywhere: it's those pictures on social media, sometimes with words, sometimes without, that people use and reuse to convey some message or a feeling.

Yesterday, we heard about the origins of the meme before memes: "Kilroy Was Here." Today, we dive into what has to be the most local meme of all time.

Just ask "Scumbag Steve," aka Blake Boston, of Millis, Massachusetts. Boston's face  went viral a decade ago after a stranger pulled a picture his mother took of him from his Myspace and began pairing it with less than savory captions.

Ben Brock Johnson and Amory Sivertson, co-hosts of WBUR’s Endless Thread podcast, join us to talk about the origins of "Scumbag Steve" and how memes like it continue to impact how we communicate with each other.

You can listen to this episode of Endless Thread here or download wherever you get your podcasts.