Negawatt is a short Instagram video of a man saying 'nigga what' with a cadence that sounds phonetically identical to the energy-economics term 'negawatt'. The real-world word denotes a unit of electricity saved through conservation measures.

Where did Negawatt come from?

The clip was originally uploaded by Instagram user Frank 'Seamus' Jameson, with the earliest surviving repost dated September 16th, 2019. Jameson was active in Instagram's Hood Irony community before his account was banned.

What does Negawatt mean?

Outside the meme, 'negawatt' is an actual energy term for a unit of electricity saved by efficiency or conservation measures. Inside the meme, the word puns on the audio from the Jameson clip.

How do you use Negawatt?

Most editors place the video beneath the Wikipedia entry for 'Negawatt market' so the audio reads as a pronunciation guide, following the format @shitpostsamuel popularized in May 2023. TikTok variants stitch the clip with academic or finance footage.

Is Negawatt still popular?

The meme peaked in mid-2023 with viral TikTok variants from @akaracaa and @fwdumpy, after which usage declined to occasional reposts.

Negawatt

2019viral videodeclining

Published October 30, 2026

Negawatt is a viral clip of a white man saying 'nigga what' in a cadence that sounds phonetically identical to 'negawatt,' the real-world term for a unit of electricity saved by conservation. The video circulated quietly on Instagram and iFunny after 2019, then exploded in May 2023 when Instagram user @shitpostsamuel overlaid it with the Wikipedia definition for 'Negawatt market'1. TikTok edits of the format reached roughly 1.5 million plays by late June 2023 through a stitch from creator @akaracaa8.

misheard lyrics memes audio memes pun memes delayed virality memes ifunny memes

Overview

The joke works through phonetic trickery: viewers hear a slur reframed as a legitimate energy-economics term. Most variations place the clip under or beside screencaps where 'negawatt' appears for real, especially the Wikipedia article on 'Negawatt market,' so the audio reads as a straight pronunciation guide1. Urban Dictionary catalogued the usage as 'another way of saying nigga what' and defined negawatt itself as a conservation metric10.

TikTok

Early iFunny and Instagram reposts carried the video unedited with no caption gag4. The template crystallized in mid-2023 once the Wikipedia overlay version spread, after which TikTokers began stitching the clip onto finance videos and academic monologues7 8. The man in the clip was identified by the first known Instagram reposter as @jameson_fans, an account tied to a figure named Frank 'Seamus' Jameson2.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Instagram (origin) / TikTok (viral spread)

Creator

@shitpostsamuel

Date

2019

The source video was uploaded by Instagram user Frank 'Seamus' Jameson, posting as @jameson_fans, at some point before September 2019. The earliest surviving repost appeared on September 16th, 2019, from the Instagram account @big.black.nigga.balls.hd, who confirmed Jameson's handle when a commenter asked who was in the clip2. Know Your Meme describes Jameson as a schizophrenic Instagram presence active in the platform's Hood Irony community before his account was banned3.

How It Spread

The clip's first iFunny repost arrived on December 10th, 2019, where it collected roughly 60 smiles in total4. Twitter users began sharing the clip in March 2020 through accounts like @badboyyugi5, and in May 2022 user @makeupbyshaniah captioned a share with 'mute button still not working on this day of all days,' which drew more than 400 likes6. None of these moments carried the clip beyond niche irony audiences.

The breakthrough came on May 31st, 2023, when Instagram user @shitpostsamuel attached the audio to the Wikipedia definition for 'Negawatt market,' producing the overlay post that gained roughly 117,700 likes within two months1. Reposts hit iFunny and TikTok within weeks, including a version from TikToker @docdoccy29. On June 23rd, 2023, TikToker @fwdumpy posted a variation that gained around 34,800 plays and 3,800 likes in its first month7. Four days later, @akaracaa stitched the Negawatt clip with a Fuzzz99 video and hit approximately 1.5 million plays and 260,900 likes by late July8.

Timeline

2019-09-16

Earliest surviving Instagram repost of the Jameson clip appears on @big.black.nigga.balls.hd.

2019-12-10

The video arrives on iFunny for the first time.

2020-03

Twitter accounts including @badboyyugi begin sharing the clip.

2022-05-06

@makeupbyshaniah's 'mute button still not working' tweet draws over 400 likes.

2023-05-31

Instagram user @shitpostsamuel posts the Wikipedia 'Negawatt market' overlay version that spawns the meme format.

2023-06-23

TikToker @fwdumpy posts a variation gaining roughly 34,800 plays.

2023-06-27

TikToker @akaracaa stitches the clip with a Fuzzz99 video, reaching about 1.5 million plays and 260,900 likes.

How to Use This Meme

Common convention places the clip beneath the Wikipedia entry for 'Negawatt market' so the audio functions as a pronunciation voiceover for the term, as in @shitpostsamuel's May 2023 Instagram post that drove the format viral1. TikTok variants often stitch the clip into finance explainers or energy policy content where 'negawatt' plausibly appears7.