# Map of South America Map of South America is a reaction image that took off in January 2019 after Twitter user @is_meguca posted a blank outline of the continent instead of the meme she meant to attach. The accidental swap racked up over 132,000 likes and inspired a wave of surreal punchlines that used the same map as a nonsense reply image. ## Origin On January 13th, 2019, Twitter user @is_meguca, whose real name is Laina Farthing, posted a joke tweet about flirting back and forth and attached a blank map of South America as the closing image[2]. Farthing later told New York Magazine's Intelligencer over DM that she had meant to attach a Surprised Pikachu image but tapped the wrong file in her camera roll and did not proofread before posting[1]. The tweet pulled in over 50,000 retweets and around 132,000 likes, and Farthing followed up by admitting she had "nothing to promote other than the fact that I'm a dumbass"[2]. The accidental nature of the post was central to its charm once she confirmed the origin story publicly[1]. - **Platform:** Twitter - **Creator:** Laina Farthing (@is_meguca) - **Date:** 2019 ## Overview Map of South America is a plain black and white outline of the South American continent that Twitter users started dropping in as the punchline to setups where a normal reaction image would go[1]. The joke is that the map has nothing to do with anything, which is exactly why it works. Instead of a Surprised Pikachu or a shrug gif, you get a geography textbook illustration hanging at the bottom of the tweet[2]. The format typically follows a setup and payoff structure, where the tweet describes a mildly relatable feeling or exchange and then closes with the map instead of a fitting image[1]. Editor Ben Williams at Daily Intelligencer described the appeal as the "first Dada meme" whose meaninglessness pokes at meme culture itself[1]. That non sequitur energy is the whole gag, and it opened the door for other users to remix the same map into their own setups[2]. ## How It Spread Within days of the original tweet, other Twitter users started reusing the same map of South America as the punchline to their own setups[2]. Accounts including @GRAVEMINDS and @houstonoutlaws posted variants that pulled dozens of retweets each by swapping in different setups above the identical image[2]. The format also picked up video and image remixes. User @rickanartist tweeted a clip of Miles Morales from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse saying "South America," which pulled over 2,500 retweets and 15,000 likes, and @dsnywrld422 posted a Distracted Boyfriend edit that gained more than 2,300 retweets and 18,000 likes[2]. Mainstream coverage came quickly. New York Magazine's Intelligencer published an explainer on January 15th, 2019, walking readers through the misclick backstory and floating theories from staff editors about why a blank continent map felt funny attached to a flirty exchange[1]. Ben Williams's Dada meme framing was picked up in that piece and later echoed in the Know Your Meme entry[2]. ## How to Use The format is simple. Write a short setup, usually a mildly relatable moment, an argument, a compliment, or an emotional beat, and then attach the blank map of South America where a reaction image would normally go. The comedy comes from the mismatch, so users typically avoid explaining the joke or editing the map. Common variations swap the map for a related non sequitur like a Miles Morales clip captioned "South America" or an image macro edit that keeps the map inside the frame. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Map of South America? It is a reaction image format where Twitter users drop a plain outline map of the South American continent as the punchline to a joke, treating it as an intentional non sequitur[1]. ### Where did Map of South America come from? Twitter user @is_meguca, real name Laina Farthing, posted the map on January 13th, 2019 after accidentally attaching it instead of a Surprised Pikachu image she had meant to use[1]. ### What does Map of South America mean? Daily Intelligencer editor Ben Williams called it the "first Dada meme," arguing that its lack of meaning is the joke and a satire of meme culture itself[1]. ### How do you use Map of South America? Write a setup tweet where a reaction image would usually go at the end, then attach the blank map of South America instead of a fitting reaction, as @GRAVEMINDS and @houstonoutlaws did in their early remixes[2]. ### Is Map of South America still popular? The format is a classic 2019 Twitter joke that peaked when the original tweet cleared 132,000 likes and inspired remixes across the platform[2]. ## References 1. [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/01/why-a-map-of-south-america-is-going-viral.html]() 2. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/map-of-south-america]() 3. [https://x.com/i/status/1084697791933235206]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/map-of-south-america Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library