Internet culture evolves at lightning speed, and few digital phenomena have maintained their impact and recognizability like the ‘Always Has Been’ meme. With its astronaut setting and punchy dialogue, this meme format has spread widely across social media platforms, offering endless reinterpretations of human truths, conspiracies, satire, and existential realizations. While it may appear humorous or absurd on the surface, the meme also represents a deeper form of internet storytelling and commentary, especially in the way it captures surprise, betrayal, and irony in a single, iconic scene.
Understanding the Structure of ‘Always Has Been’
The basic format of the ‘Always Has Been’ meme features two astronauts in outer space, typically overlooking the Earth. One astronaut makes a realization often something mind-blowing, absurd, or philosophical only for the second astronaut to point a gun at him and say: Always has been. This simple yet dramatic structure enables infinite adaptations, making it a flexible tool for cultural commentary.
It works primarily due to its three-part composition:
- The setup or realization (Wait, it’s all [something]?)
- The reveal or twist (the other astronaut with a gun)
- The punchline (Always has been.)
Origins and Evolution of the Meme
The roots of the ‘Always Has Been’ meme trace back to a 2011 digital artwork by artist @TriggerWarningGraphicDesign. However, the meme did not enter mainstream internet consciousness until around 2018, when variations began surfacing on platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and Instagram. Its popularity surged during 2020, with users across the world adapting the template for humor, politics, science, history, and personal reflection.
The widespread use of this format speaks to the meme’s cultural adaptability. Users are drawn to its mix of absurdism and revelation. Whether discussing simulation theory, pop culture, or mundane life truths, the meme allows people to frame ideas in a highly engaging and shareable format.
The Meme’s Role in Internet Philosophy
While many view memes as pure entertainment, ‘Always Has Been’ represents a shift in how people explore big ideas through humor. This meme isn’t just funny it’s reflective. It takes a concept and turns it on its head, inviting audiences to question their assumptions or laugh at unexpected truths.
For example:
- Wait, it’s all Ohio? – Always has been.
- Wait, I’m the villain? – Always has been.
- Wait, memes are modern literature? – Always has been.
In each case, the meme doesn’t just offer a joke it delivers a compact philosophical twist that can make viewers rethink their perspective.
Adaptability Across Cultures and Topics
One key reason for the meme’s enduring popularity is its adaptability. Creators use it to address topics across various domains:
- Science and Space: Jokes about the universe, flat Earth theories, or simulation hypotheses.
- Politics: Commentary on ideologies, systemic issues, or historical narratives.
- Pop Culture: Referencing beloved franchises, unexpected crossovers, or celebrity revelations.
- Personal Realizations: Applying the format to introspective truths or daily life ironies.
Because the template is so visually and narratively simple, it invites reimagining. Artists, educators, meme enthusiasts, and content creators all find ways to repurpose it to serve their message serious or silly.
Psychological Impact of the Always Has Been Meme
Humor, especially online, often acts as a release valve for tension, confusion, or existential dread. The Always Has Been meme taps into this by mimicking the moment when a person has a shocking realization only to be told that this truth has always existed. That combination of revelation and futility is deeply relatable, especially in today’s information-saturated world.
Many memes thrive on shared emotions whether it’s confusion, excitement, or betrayal. This meme encapsulates all three. The first astronaut represents curiosity or awakening, the second represents authority or cynicism, and the gun represents the harshness of reality. It’s absurd and brilliant at the same time.
Why It Became an Internet Classic
A meme becomes classic when it can transcend time, trend, and platform. The Always Has Been meme checks all these boxes. Its recognizable style, flexible text, and rich metaphorical potential have made it one of the internet’s most enduring formats.
Unlike trends that rely on a specific event or celebrity moment, this meme relies on a fundamental aspect of human experience: the feeling of discovering something important, only to realize others knew it all along or worse, the realization was inevitable.
Educational and Creative Uses
Some educators and thinkers have even used the meme in classrooms or presentations. It can simplify complex ideas into visual allegories. For example:
- In economics: Wait, capitalism relies on inequality? – Always has been.
- In psychology: Wait, behavior is shaped by early trauma? – Always has been.
- In history: Wait, wars are driven by resources? – Always has been.
By reformatting serious topics into meme form, educators can engage younger audiences and spark discussion in a relatable way.
The Meme as a Reflection of Digital Consciousness
More than just a joke, Always Has Been has become a mirror to how we process truth in the digital age. Whether we’re confronting political disillusionment, discovering hidden histories, or laughing at the absurdities of life, the meme condenses complex realities into a single punchy visual. It reflects a generation that navigates truth through irony, humor, and shared symbols.
It’s not just the dialogue that resonates it’s the emotional architecture of the scene. That moment of sudden clarity, followed by an immediate shutdown, feels uniquely suited to the internet generation. It’s how many people process information in a world of algorithm-driven echo chambers and fragmented truths.
What Keeps It Relevant Today
While memes often fade quickly, Always Has Been continues to remain relevant because it evolves with the culture. Every major event, trend, or controversy gives rise to new interpretations of the template. As long as people continue to have unexpected realizations and the world keeps revealing strange truths this meme will endure.
The format has also inspired creative remixes. Artists turn it into animations, alternate dialogues, or 3D renderings. Each reinvention reaffirms the meme’s central role in digital storytelling.
The Always Has Been meme is more than just an internet joke it’s a symbol of modern awareness, irony, and shared revelation. Through its unique structure and universal emotional appeal, it continues to influence how people communicate and understand the world online. In a time when information is overwhelming, this meme stands out as a way to pause, laugh, and question what we think we know. Whether you’re exploring philosophy, politics, or pop culture, chances are: it always has been relevant.