Meaning
What does Just Do It mean?
Just do it (also known as Shia LaBeuf’s motivational speech) is a series of memes inspired by a video about the actor Shia LaBeouf shouting in vehemence, uttering supposedly inspirational sentences towards the viewer while showing strange gesticulation.
The short video was captured in a studio, in front of a green screen, giving the opportunity to content creators across the web to create a broad spectrum of memes about Shia and his bizarre motivational ritual.
Origin
What's the origin of Just Do It?
The original footage was uploaded to Vimeo, and was created as a part of a video series project that featured Siha LaBeouf and other actors, as well as Central Saint Martins University scholars.
In 2015, a channel under the name of Mike Mohamed shared the same clip on YouTube, this time the clip bearing the title “Shia LaBeouf delivers the most intense motivational speech of all-time”. The video became a viral sensation almost instantly and generated millions of views just in a few days after the upload.
Spread & Usage
How did Just Do It spread?
Reddit was the first platform to react to the sensation, just in a matter of a few days subsequently to the clip’s surfacing on YouTube, the clip already landed in /r/Videos. Users rapidly started to manufacture video remixes and parodies, mostly uploading them to YouTube.
Just do it became a part of all the memes surrounding Shia LaBeuf’s persona. Another honorable example for a Shia LaBeuf meme could be the music video Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeuf.
