# Phone Swiping Patterns > Phone Swiping Patterns is a four-panel exploitable image macro from r/PewDiePieSubmissions in March 2019 that humorously illustrates distinctive thumb movements and gestures used across different smartphone apps. Phone Swiping Patterns is a four-panel exploitable image format that maps out the distinctive thumb movements people make while using different smartphone apps. Three panels display recognizable gestures from popular apps, while the fourth reveals a humorous or niche activity through its own unique thumb pattern. The format originated on Reddit's r/PewDiePieSubmissions in March 2019 and spread rapidly across multiple subreddits over the following days. ## Origin Reddit user RealMediaMind posted the first known version of the format to r/PewDiePieSubmissions on March 8, 2019[1]. The punchline panel referenced "Press F to Pay Respects," depicting the thumb pattern for pressing F on a phone keyboard. The post earned over 15,000 points on the subreddit, establishing the template's structure and comedic logic in a single image. - **Platform:** Reddit (r/PewDiePieSubmissions) - **Creator:** RealMediaMind (original poster on Reddit) - **Date:** 2019 ## Overview The meme uses a grid of four smartphone outlines, each containing a pattern of dots and connecting lines that represent thumb movement across the screen. The first three panels typically show the swiping or scrolling gestures associated with well-known apps like Instagram, Tinder, or mobile games. The fourth panel is the punchline: a distinct thumb pattern representing some specific, often funny or embarrassing activity[1]. The format's humor relies on recognition. The abstract dot-and-line diagrams are meaningless on their own. Viewers who regularly perform the depicted activity instantly identify the movement pattern, creating an "if you know, you know" dynamic. This made the template especially popular in niche hobby and gaming communities where specific in-app gestures were second nature. ## How It Spread Later on March 8, the same post was crossposted to r/memes, where it picked up over 14,000 views[1]. Within two days the format had jumped to multiple subreddits, each community adapting the fourth panel to its own in-jokes. On March 10, 2019, user unicorn446 posted a version to r/dankmemes that mocked "normies," pulling in over 16,000 points. That same day, user Finnstaa created an Apex Legends variation for r/ApexLegends referencing the Mozambique weapon, earning over 3,400 points. Other notable entries included a post by kartoffelgeruch in r/me_irl (over 10,000 points) and one by Staggart99 in r/gamingcirclejerk (over 3,800 points)[1]. The format's strength was its flexibility. Any app or activity with a recognizable thumb gesture could become a punchline, which made it easy to customize for gaming communities, social media jokes, and self-deprecating humor about phone habits. By mid-March 2019 the template had largely run its course as the most obvious variations were exhausted. ## How to Use Making a Phone Swiping Patterns meme typically goes like this: 1. Set up a four-panel grid, each panel showing a simplified smartphone outline with dots and lines inside 2. Fill the first three panels with swiping patterns from widely recognized apps (Instagram's vertical scroll, Tinder's horizontal swipe, a game's tap pattern) 3. Label each of the first three panels with the app name 4. Draw a fourth thumb pattern that represents a funny, niche, or embarrassing activity 5. Label the fourth panel or leave it for viewers to decode ## Fun Facts - The original post's punchline referenced "Press F to Pay Respects," a meme from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, making it a meme-within-a-meme from day one[1] - The format reached at least five major subreddits within 48 hours of its first post[1] - Instagram, one of the most commonly depicted apps in the first three panels, had over 500 million daily Stories users by early 2019, making its vertical scroll pattern one of the most universally recognized thumb gestures on the planet[2] - The meme is unusual in that it communicates entirely through abstract diagrams of physical movement rather than photos, screenshots, or text ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Phone Swiping Patterns? Phone Swiping Patterns is a four-panel image meme that illustrates the distinct thumb movements associated with different smartphone apps. The fourth panel serves as a comedic punchline depicting a funny or relatable activity[1]. ### Where did Phone Swiping Patterns come from? Reddit user RealMediaMind posted the first version to r/PewDiePieSubmissions on March 8, 2019. It referenced the "Press F to Pay Respects" meme and earned over 15,000 points[1]. ### What does Phone Swiping Patterns mean? Each panel's dots and lines map out how your thumb moves across a phone screen for a particular app or action. The joke hinges on the fourth panel being recognizable only to people who regularly perform that specific activity[1]. ### How do you use Phone Swiping Patterns? Create a four-panel grid with smartphone outlines, show three common app swiping patterns in the first three panels, then draw a fourth pattern representing a humorous or embarrassing activity as the punchline. ### Is Phone Swiping Patterns still popular? The meme peaked during a brief window in March 2019 across Reddit. As a short-lived exploitable format, it is no longer in active circulation. ### What was the first Phone Swiping Patterns meme about? The original version used the fourth panel to show the thumb pattern for pressing the F key, referencing the "Press F to Pay Respects" meme. It gained over 15,000 points on r/PewDiePieSubmissions[1]. ### Which subreddits used the Phone Swiping Patterns format? The format appeared on r/PewDiePieSubmissions, r/memes, r/dankmemes, r/ApexLegends, r/me_irl, and r/gamingcirclejerk within days of its creation[1]. ### Why did Phone Swiping Patterns die out quickly? The format had a limited number of strong punchlines since it required activities with distinctive, recognizable thumb gestures. Once the most obvious variations were made, the template lost its novelty. ## References 1. [Instagram]() 2. [Phone Swiping Patterns - Know Your Meme]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/phone-swiping-patterns Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library