An NPC person is a term used to describe someone who is perceived as lacking independent thought or blindly following trends. The term originates from video games and refers to characters that are controlled by the games artificial intelligence (AI) rather than by actual players. In social media, "NPC" is often used as a metaphor or meme to describe someone who blindly follows popular opinion without critical thinking. The NPC meme, which graphically is based on the Wojak meme, was created in July 2016 by an anonymous author and first published on the imageboard 4chan, where the idea and inspiration behind the meme were introduced. The term "NPC" is typically used in online discussions, debates, or political discourse as a way to criticize or dismiss someone's arguments or perspectives. In real life, an NPC is someone who doesn’t think objectively. When someone calls a real-life person an NPC, they’re equating them to a non-playable character in a video game.