Stonks

Stonks is an expression which was popularized during the Gamestop saga on one of Reddit’s most infamous subreddits, /r/wallstreetbets.

It it used generally to refer to stocks but can also serve as a way to comment on a financial loss.

The term is often paired with a bald unusual-looking animated figure wearing a business suit staring into nothing while standing next to an arrow which is pointing upwards (as if prices were rising).

The ironic combination of the picture and the deliberate misspelling of the word “stocks”, aims at making fun of people who claim they know their way around the market and, in fact, don’t, as it also hints at a major financial loss.

In that regard, users often ironically say that “stonks only go up”. Ever since the “stonks” meme appeared, it has been seen in different contexts but having the misspelt word altered to fit those situations (like “health” being replaced with “helth”, “hack” with “hac”, “small” with “smol” and so forth).

Stonks History

Its creation has been linked to a 2017 post on a Facebook group entitled “Special meme fresh”.

The figure is now known as “Meme Man” in popular meme culture.

The term’s popularity resurfaced when a screenshot of a chat window where someone was trying to justify not having cheated went viral because that person had sent the “Stonks” meme in between lines of text, begging for the other person to take him or her back.

Stonks on mainstream media

In January 2021, the term was picked up by mainstream media on account of the Gamestop saga mainly happening on the subreddits /r/wallstreetbets, /r/GME and /r/superstonk.

Elon Musk has also tweeted the stonks meme which greatly increased its popularity.