# Negawatt

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 @akaracaa[8].

## Origin
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 clip[2]. Know Your Meme describes Jameson as a schizophrenic Instagram presence active in the platform's Hood Irony community before his account was banned[3].

- **Platform:** Instagram (origin) / TikTok (viral spread)
- **Creator:** @shitpostsamuel (Wikipedia overlay format)
- **Date:** 2019

## 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 guide[1]. Urban Dictionary catalogued the usage as 'another way of saying nigga what' and defined negawatt itself as a conservation metric[10].

Early iFunny and Instagram reposts carried the video unedited with no caption gag[4]. The template crystallized in mid-2023 once the Wikipedia overlay version spread, after which TikTokers began stitching the clip onto finance videos and academic monologues[7][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' Jameson[2].

## How to Use
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 viral[1]. TikTok variants often stitch the clip into finance explainers or energy policy content where 'negawatt' plausibly appears[7].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Negawatt?
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'[1]. The real-world word denotes a unit of electricity saved through conservation measures[10].

### 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[2]. Jameson was active in Instagram's Hood Irony community before his account was banned[3].

### What does Negawatt mean?
Outside the meme, 'negawatt' is an actual energy term for a unit of electricity saved by efficiency or conservation measures[10]. Inside the meme, the word puns on the audio from the Jameson clip[1].

### 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[1]. TikTok variants stitch the clip with academic or finance footage[7].

### Is Negawatt still popular?
The meme peaked in mid-2023 with viral TikTok variants from @akaracaa and @fwdumpy[8], after which usage declined to occasional reposts.

## References
1. [https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs5R679L4_b/](<https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs5R679L4_b/>)
2. [https://www.instagram.com/p/B2eDUjOnH_7/](<https://www.instagram.com/p/B2eDUjOnH_7/>)
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/negawatt](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/negawatt>)
4. [https://ifunny.co/video/37KgaTyF7](<https://ifunny.co/video/37KgaTyF7>)
5. [https://twitter.com/badboyyugi/status/1239474871064821760](<https://twitter.com/badboyyugi/status/1239474871064821760>)
6. [https://twitter.com/makeupbyshaniah/status/1522390724171509763](<https://twitter.com/makeupbyshaniah/status/1522390724171509763>)
7. [https://www.tiktok.com/@fwdumpy/video/7247990443521084715](<https://www.tiktok.com/@fwdumpy/video/7247990443521084715>)
8. [https://www.tiktok.com/@akaracaa/video/7249514489794661638](<https://www.tiktok.com/@akaracaa/video/7249514489794661638>)
9. [https://www.tiktok.com/@docdoccy2/video/7252153296675310894](<https://www.tiktok.com/@docdoccy2/video/7252153296675310894>)
10. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Negawatt](<https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Negawatt>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/negawatt
Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library