The use of the Those Who Know 💀 meme began as a way for Sigma males—a group of online loners who think of themselves as evolved ‘alpha’ men—to communicate cultural superiority. Over time its use has become increasingly ironic, signifying the over-saturation of Sigma culture, cringe, and brainrot, or the decline of intelligence via the internet.
@those_who_know_ those know who ☠️ #meme #fyp #brainrot #skibidi ♬ original sound – Sigma Ligma
What does the Those Who Know meme mean?
Initially born from the rise of Sigma male culture and the People Who Don’t Know vs. People Who Know meme, Those Who Know 💀 meme is a catchphrase whose text and imagery indicates that a specific cross-section of individuals (usually fellow Sigma males) will understand the contents and thus the joke, or the meaning of the meme.
Those Who Know 💀 memes often use phonk edits (a base-heavy music subgenre that creates a dark and intense mood, common in Sigma content) and the catchphrase itself concludes with a skull emoji (or multiple skull emojis) to give it a sardonic sense of humor, mocking those not in on the joke.
@titan.speakerman_techtok #capcut #lobotomy #joker #jonkler #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #fyp #sigma #aura #brainrot ♬ original sound – 𝙈𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙡
The actual meaning of the meme is somewhat abstract but alludes to Sigma superiority over the general public. Over time, however, the meme’s use took on an ironic meaning, making fun of Sigma terminologies and various other popular online trends.
@brunito.fut #fyp #fypシ #brainrot #mango #sigma #skibidi #ohio ♬ original sound – brunito.fut
@swagboygabe06 Get it? Its hawk….tuah….🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣#hawk #tuah #sigma #brainrot #skibidi #hauntedmound #draingang ♬ Mangos – Tiktok Version – LDRR
Why are the memes always creepy faces showing that they know something?
The images paired with the Those Who Know 💀 caption are typical of the Sigma universe; the most popular are The Jonkler, Trollge, and Lightning Eyes Patrick Bateman. These characters serve as avatars for how Sigma males perceive themselves: scary or creepy loners who are more disturbed but more clever and intelligent than the general public.
@pc0182846 #CapCut #thosewhoknow #fyp #viral #jbando #Meme ♬ original sound – 🧌🧌🧌
Why is one of those creepy faces the Jonkler? What does the Jonkler have to do with any of this?
The Jonkler (a humorous play on the Batman character The Joker) is Sigma male royalty, and more than some of the other more abstract/cartoonish characters in the Sigma universe, embodies the Sigma narrative by way of his own mythology: a brilliant loner who follows his dreams, gets knocked down by the world and decides to become a diabolically evil—yet humorous—agent of chaos.
The People Who Know / People Who Don’t Know connection
The Those Who Know 💀 meme is a shortened variation of an earlier comparison meme series, People Who Don’t Know / People Who Know, or Mr. Incredible Becoming Uncanny meme template.
This meme depicts two images of Pixar’s The Incredibles patriarch Mr. Incredible: one, an original still from The Incredibles 2, and the other: a blown-out, black-and-white version of the character that makes him seem sickly or pained.
These comparison memes depict the original Mr. Incredible as being idiotic and naive, and the black-and-white Mr. Incredible as being weathered, knowledgeable, and all-knowing. Soon, a shortened version of this comparison meme became the “people who know” catchphrase, and evolved into Those Who Know 💀.
Origin and spread
According to Know Your Meme, The earliest appearance of the People Who Don’t Know / People Who Know comparison meme was in 2021 by Redditor Dapper_Dildo. The meme was subsequently shortened by users @kotakibaat and @tsvkota, who on Dec. 23rd, 2023 took the “People Who Know” meme and changed it to “Those Who Know.”
This was the beginning of the meme as a separate entity. Similar memes continued in 2024, evolving into the phrase + skeleton emoji format “Those Who Know 💀,” and gaining a new ironic use.
Meme basics:
- Meme Creator: @kotakibaat and @tsvkota (and various others)
- Meme Type: Sigma Male, Brainrot, Cringe, Ironic
- First Appearance: Dec. 23rd, 2023
- Origin Source: Instagram
- Used to Convey: Sigma pride or Irony, mockery, brainrot
- Peak Popularity: Oct. 24th, 2024
@xxyurrxx2 #simga #fypシ #mogged #thosewhonowmeknow #phonk #stillwater ♬ aura. – rudyy 🇮🇹🇬🇷
Cultural context
The Those Who Know 💀 meme signifies a common evolution of contemporary meme culture: a meme is made, shortened, co-opted, and overused by the Sigma community, and eventually made to ironically poke fun at Sigmas and internet culture, as a whole.
@racevideosdaily Those who know at 0:34☠️☠️ #brainrot #mangos #thosewhoknow #winterarc #fyp #rge #on ♬ original sound – racevideosdaily
