Recognition is crucial within digital distribution chains, where memes have become established as recognition media, connecting old and new cultural expressions. Memes referencing older films relate to current or timeless social experiences and express nostalgia; sound memes link song variants to original forms, creating networks among various iterations.

Two Nigerian pop culture case studies investigate how meme-ability impacts film and music production. Are products specifically created to include meme-friendly snippets essential for increased circulation? How do memes function as formats and agents in collective memory processes, and what roles do film and sound memes play in shaping the canon of Nigerian popular culture?