# Interest Graphs

Interest Graphs are parody line charts that plot a person's attention rising and crashing across the topics of a conversation. The format broke out on Reddit in July 2017 with a viral /r/dankmemes post about talking to a left-wing activist, spawning a short but intense wave of drawn-out gag graphs across meme subreddits.

## Origin
On July 17th, 2017, Redditor The_Lord_Of_Memes posted a graph titled "Speaking to a Left-Wing Activist" to /r/dankmemes, with the interest line climbing through a list of social-justice topics before collapsing at the phrase "within Muslim culture"[1]. Within 24 hours the post pulled in over 3,500 points at 91% upvoted and around 110 comments, which is what pushed the format out of a one-off gag and into a recognizable template[4].

- **Platform:** Reddit (/r/dankmemes, /r/MemeEconomy)
- **Creator:** The_Lord_Of_Memes
- **Date:** 2017

## Overview
Interest Graphs are joke line charts where the x-axis is a sequence of talking points and the y-axis is how interested the narrator is in what the other person is saying[1]. The punchline is almost always the shape of the line, a smooth climb followed by a cliff-drop at the exact phrase where the speaker loses the narrator, so the reader scans the graph and reconstructs the awkward moment on their own[2].

Most entries stick to a plain two-axis layout with hand-typed or hand-drawn topic labels along the bottom, and the humor leans on the specificity of those labels rather than on any visual polish[4]. Some versions swap in scribbled paper photos instead of clean digital charts, which became part of the format's low-effort charm on /r/MemeEconomy[3].

## How It Spread
Later that same day, Redditor sterodicsquirell posted a photograph of a hand-drawn interest graph to /r/MemeEconomy ending on the line "Would you like some chocolate covered raisins," which picked up more than 700 points at 96% upvoted in under a day[3]. The subreddit crossover mattered because /r/MemeEconomy users were already in the habit of tracking new formats as tradeable assets, so the graph gag got both remixed and openly discussed as an emerging template[3].

A parallel wave hit /r/dankmemes the same day. Redditor HayItsProsandwich turned the format inward with an /r/MemeEconomy-themed interest graph[2], while Redditor ThatNerdyBrunette posted a graph showing collapsing interest in memes once they show up on iFunny[2]. Having several unrelated posters run the template on July 17th is what marks the format's spread rather than a slow build[4].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Interest Graphs?
A meme format built on parody line charts that plot a listener's interest rising and then crashing across the topics of a conversation[1].

### Where did Interest Graphs come from?
The format took off on July 17th, 2017 when Redditor The_Lord_Of_Memes posted "Speaking to a Left-Wing Activist" to /r/dankmemes[1].

### What does Interest Graphs mean?
Each graph is a visual shorthand for the exact moment a conversation loses the narrator, with the crash on the line marking the deal-breaker topic[4].

### How do you use Interest Graphs?
People typically draw or type a two-axis chart, label the x-axis with a chain of talking points, and drop the y-axis line at the phrase that kills their interest[3].

### Is Interest Graphs still popular?
The template had its main burst on Reddit in mid-July 2017 and is now treated as a classic /r/dankmemes and /r/MemeEconomy format rather than an active trend[4].

## References
1. [https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/comments/6nswqe/thanks_brogressives/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/comments/6nswqe/thanks_brogressives/>)
2. [https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/>)
3. [https://www.reddit.com/r/MemeEconomy/](<https://www.reddit.com/r/MemeEconomy/>)
4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/interest-graphs](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/interest-graphs>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/interest-graphs
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