Viral Video Recap: Memes of the Week

The 2012 U.S. presidential election, fittingly dubbed the first meme election by some people, came to end this week when Americans re-elected Barack Obama.

While his victory messages went viral across Facebook and Twitter, other candid moments and political parodies caught people's attention on the web (watch the video).

SEE ALSO: Type 'Completely Wrong' in Google Images for a Romney Surprise

Never ones to stray away from attention, cats also clawed their way into the spotlight, as did Angry Birds.

BONUS: Speaking of Cats ...

More Coverage of Election 2012

• Barack Obama Tweets Victory in 2012 Presidential Election
• Yes, We GIFed: Obamas Animated Election Victory Celebration
• Donald Trump Freaks Out on Twitter After Obama Wins Election
• A Look Inside the Obama and Romney Headquarters on Election Night [PICS]
• 15 Funny Moving to Canada Tweets for Election Night
• Obamas Victory Tweet Is His Most Retweeted Ever
• Karl Rove Refuses to Accept Obamas Election Win [VIDEO]
• Watch Mitt Romney Deliver His Concession Speech [VIDEO]

Mashable explores the trends changing politics in 2012 and beyond in Politics Transformed: The High Tech Battle for Your Vote, an in-depth look at how digital media is reshaping democracy.

Read a few of the top posts from the series:

• Election 2040: The First President for Digital Natives
• Voter Data: What the Candidates Know About You
• How to Market the Next President
• Gaffesplosion: The Unrelenting Hype of Modern Politics
• How Social Media Can Safeguard Your Vote

Take it with you, buy Politics Transformed: The High Tech Battle for Your Vote on e-book and get access to four exclusive interviews!

More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Newsy, Politics, Viral, angry birds, animals, cats, mashable video, memes, trending, viral videos