Document a meme without inventing its origin
Separate the earliest example you found from the actual beginning of a trend.
Define the thing you are tracing
A phrase, a sound recording, a visual format, and a dance can travel together without sharing an origin. Decide which one your collection follows. A video using a sound may borrow its joke from another community, while a later remix may contain newly recorded audio.
Start with a working description such as repeated phrase plus reaction shot, rather than claiming that one creator invented the entire format. This keeps the research question small enough to answer from actual examples.
Build a chain of evidence
For each example, retain the source URL, creator handle, displayed publication date, access date, and the part connecting it to the others. Note replies, credits, captions, and linked sources separately. A repost's publication date is not necessarily when the underlying footage was made.
Use three labels: directly observed, credited by the creator, and unverified. A caption naming an inspiration is an observed credit, but does not independently prove that the credited post came first. A compilation without source links is a lead, not an origin record.
Preserve meaningful differences
Choose examples showing a change: a different setup, translation, audience, edit, or use of sound. Ten nearly identical popular videos may document reach but do little to explain how the format changed. Write a sentence beside each example explaining what new information it contributes.
Keep corrections visible. If you locate an earlier example later, update the chronology without pretending you knew it from the beginning. Earliest example located as of a named date is more defensible than original meme when your search cannot establish that claim.
Publish analysis, not a context-free mirror
A useful public collection explains connections and credits the people whose work it discusses. Public availability is not permission to republish complete videos. Where copying is not authorized, retain research notes and link to the source. Respect removal requests and avoid exposing personal information incidental to the joke.
The result should let another reader understand your reasoning: what you observed, how examples relate, and what remains unknown. That record is valuable even if you never settle who was first.