The Big Reveal: Meet the Creator of the Viral UTexas Memes Page

By Jordan Schraeder in 40 Acres on February 14, 2012 at 4:50 pm | No Comments

Just a few days after the creator of the UTexas Memes Facebook page played coy about his identity to The Alcalde, he’s finally revealed himself to his more than 14,000 adoring fans.

Meet Daniel Monroy, the formerly elusive computer science freshman from Guatemala who is responsible for the viral UT-themed memes—humorous photos with witty sayings—that are blowing up everyone’s Facebook news feeds.

“I just thought that I might as well reveal myself,” Monroy says. “I also wanted to see my friends’—the ones who didn’t know—reaction when they found out. “

The reaction to the big reveal, which was made public in The Horn, has been mixed. He’s caught a lot of flak on Facebook for a comment he made in the story about possibly being the next Mark Zuckerberg, but Monroy says it was simply a joke.

“I had no clue that using Facebook puts you in the position to become the next Mark Zuckerberg,” quipped UTexas Memes fan Ryan Quinn on the page’s Wall.

But the negative comments aren’t slowing Monroy’s roll. In addition to the Facebook page, which has garnered more than 14,000 likes in just over a week, UTexas Memes now has a Twitter and Tumblr presence.

Monroy’s also working to order graphic T-shirts with some of the most popular memes, which may soon be coming to the The University Co-op. The Co-op actually tweeted to Monroy on Feb. 10: “@TheUTexasMemes – maybe we could sell shirts at the Co-op? Lets talk, wkellehe@universitycoop.com.” Ah, the power of social media.

It may seem like an all-consuming responsibility, but Monroy insists that managing the pages is easier than you’d think.

“I spend about 30 minutes to an hour on the site [per day],” he says. “Mostly I just check for any inappropriate memes in case I have to remove any.”

And though UTexas Memes are serving as a distraction from class work for many Longhorns, Monroy says he manages to stay fairly focused.

“It is not interfering with my classes, because either way I would spend some time on Facebook,” he says. “Proof is that I have been getting 100s on all of my assignments.”

To see more UT-themed memes, visit Orange Magazine’s new website, which features a “Meme of the Day” sidebar.

Top, a popular UT meme created by Stephen Vasquez. Bottom, Daniel Monroy, courtesy the Daily Texan and Zachary Strain.

Tags: Facebook, memes, Orange Magazine, social media, The Horn, Tumblr, Twitter, UTexas memes