Man from 'blinking guy' meme reveals what he actually thinks of it as people see what he looks like now
The man most recognized as that confused face meme has spoken out about what he thinks about going viral.
Since the internet has been around for quite a while now, there is a whole lot of lore and history to it.
Sure, you have the things that have lengthy and detailed backstories and controversies and such, and then you have memes and gifs that are passed around without much of a second thought.
Well, the man behind arguably one of the most recognisable GIFs of all time has spoken out about it.
Advert
The GIF dates back to 2013 on a live stream and shows San Francisco resident and video producer for the streaming platform Twitch, Drew Scanlon, blinking in mild confusion.
According to the website Know Your Meme, Scanlon was working on a weekly live stream on December 6, 2013 when a colleague made a joke that resulted in his response.
His reaction quickly spread around the internet and is still used as a meme today.
Amazingly, Scanlon has been able to turn this internet notoriety into more than $300,000 for charity.
Speaking to ABC about going viral all those years ago, he said: “A lot of times it doesn’t feel like me.”
He even noted that many people thought the person in the GIF was actually actor Cary Elwes, and added that even his wife thought that was who it was until she met him.
But rather than just sit on his internet fame, he has used it for charitable causes.
He even recently shared the GIF on his Twitter page and asked people to donate to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
This is something he does every year on his rarely used social media pages in hopes of raising more money.
He wrote: “Hi Internet! I'm Drew and THIS IS MY FACE. If this GIF has ever brought you joy in the past, I humbly ask you to consider making a donation to the National MS Society.
"It would mean a lot to me and to those I know affected by the disease! Donate at https://BlinkingGuy.com.”
As well as regular charitable efforts, he holds an annual bike race supporting the same charity as both his friend and her mom have MS.
Speaking about this, he added: "I have just been floored with the reaction. It was a gift that was given to me and I thought that I should just pay it forward."
Gerrard Kaonga