Blame it on the Zodiac killer: did social media ruin Ted Cruz's campaign?

For the first time in the election cycle, community-generated memes have played a significant role in political discourse - similar to the classic printed cartoon

When Ted Cruz dropped out of the Republican presidential race after losing in Indiana, he said there was no "viable path to victory". But, really, anybody who isn't a Republican would probably tell you something different: it was the handshake. And probably also that Ted Cruz is the Zodiac killer.

This Vine of Cruz fumbling toward a "triumphant" hand clasp with running mate Carly Fiorina has been viewed more than 3.5m times (even though we assume most people viewed it more than once). It's been edited from the original video to highlight the strangeness: tendril fingers slithering and grasping awkwardly for each other, like Cthulhu hand puppets. It takes an unbearably long time for the pair to get their fists into the air.