The 'Real Life NPC' meme originates from the gaming term Non-Player Character, used to describe people who appear to lack an internal monologue or act in highly predictable, repetitive ways. While the concept of the NPC Wojak started around 2018 as a political jab, the 'Real Life NPC' trend evolved on TikTok and YouTube to focus on the uncanny, robotic behaviors of people in public settings. It often features individuals performing seemingly scripted tasks or maintaining blank expressions, suggesting they are background characters in someone else's story. Today, it is a staple of internet culture used to satirize social conformity and the monotony of modern life.