Is This Loss?

Is this Loss? is an online meme derived from a strip of the webcomic series Ctrl+Alt+Del. The comic, titled Loss, depicted a woman suffering a miscarriage and marked the transition of the webcomic into something more serious. This caused much controversy among fans of the series and led to numerous parodies and reinterpretations of Loss, prompting people to ask “Is this Loss?” when encountering these various interpretations.

The phrase “Is this Loss?” has become synonymous with memes that are inspired by or pay homage to the original comic. It has also become a way for people to identify copies or rip-offs of the original comic, which is why it is still so commonly encountered on the internet today.

Over time, the fact that many obscure parodies were created, led to the question being asked everywhere online. This, in turn also made the meme and the comic more popular, turning the question “Is this Loss?” into a meme in and of itself.

….Has someone already done this joke?

The phrase “Is this loss?” originated from the famous webcomic, Ctrl+Alt+Del. The comic in question was published on June 2nd, 2008, and featured the lead female character, Lilah, going through a miscarriage. This heartbreaking comic was the first of many to signal a change in tone for the webcomic series, leading to a wide range of reactions from fans and critics alike.

The phrase “Is this loss?” has since become a popular meme and copypasta used on various online platforms. While its popularity started taking off, due to the parodies and reinterpretations, some people actually used it as an expression of sympathy or understanding towards people going through hard times. While it may not have been originally intended to be used in this way, it has become a powerful tool for those looking to express their feelings of loss. At the same time, it is frequently used ironically to find the meaning of obscure content, pondering the question: “Is this loss?”

“Is this Loss?” quickly became popular on social media platforms such as Twitter, Tumblr, and Reddit, where users would share it along with the original comic strip or their own parodies of it. It also spread to other webcomic series, such as Cyanide and Happiness, and Fanboys and influential online personas like Shmorky. The phrase was then adopted by other platforms such as YouTube, 9GAG, Reddit and 4chan, becoming a widely encountered question and a running joke among users. Over time, a new trend of minimalist interpretations and recreations of the comic took over the internet, appearing on the aforementioned sites. The massive popularity of “Is this Loss?” and the original comic led to the documentation of its story by many news outlets and blogs.

“Is this Loss?” is undoubtedly one of the most popular memes of the 2010s, with a wide array of reinterpretations, adaptations and recreations appearing throughout the decade.

• New York Intelligencer – Talking to the Man Behind ‘Loss,’ the Internet’s Longest-Running Miscarriage ‘Joke’
• Know Your Meme – Loss