To meme or not to meme. That is the question!

Look at this baby dance!

Why does this flying cat poop rainbows?

Well, it turned 10 last year and is one of the first memes to be sold as a one-of-a-kind piece of crypto art.

Should you be afraid of this bear?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a meme infuses life and emotions in that picture! 

And, if happiness is the best medicine then, memes are one of the best ways to deliver it. 

Memes: They are something we as teenagers can relate to so much. 

According to a recent study, 75 percent of 13 to 36 year olds engage with memes. 71 percent of people who share memes send them to make people smile or make them laugh and 28 percent send them when they're unable to put their thoughts into their words or in the form of a text. So, memes don't just act as comedic relief but they also in quite a few cases help make digital communication more eloquent. 

Well, before beginning, here is a treat for you! Your eyes! Your soul! 

Memes: The stunning variety of circumstances they are used in today!

You probably encounter ‘Demotivators’ (for example ‘Never give up!’) or pictures of a cat with amusing captions every day on social media; you may have even shared images like this with others. These are examples of memes. 

They act as conversation openers, foster connections and feel like we belong and interestingly enough even help smooth over a conflict or make a point.

Personally, they help me unwind, as I browse and procrastinate to distract myself from troubling news. They offer a free form of entertainment that I can always engage in. 

In today's day and age they are a prominent way of engagement and have a substantial social impact. Take an example of Pepe, the frog. Pepe is a highly emotionalized caricature which lets people show emotions on a largely text based web where getting the right tone is quite difficult, which made this meme very well liked. What distinguishes memes from other forms of image-based artefacts is the strong emotion embedded in them. This is an excellent indicator of how memes are influential but whether used for good or bad depends on the users. 

The early history of memes comprised of simple cat gifs and troll faces but today they have touched the four corners of the globe and have left an indelible impact on human history. 

Whenever we hear the word meme, the first thing that pops in our head is a huge wave of humor that it brings. It simply washes away our sorrow and sadness and sets in some joy and pleasure. While some love to flip through memes and relax, others find relaxation in making memes itself. 

Join me as I take a journey and travel through the distinct eras of memedom, and find our way back to modern meme times.

The concept of memes was first introduced around the 1980s but it gained recognition and popularity around 2005 when applications such as Youtube and Facebook emerged. 

Meme: Not just a biological Gene but a Virus too!

It was first introduced by Richard Dawkins in his book ‘The Selfish Gene’ as he was trying to conceptualize ideas that spread throughout generations with core bounds. He thought of a meme as a unit of cultural transmission, quite analogous to a biological gene. Like genes, memes were thought to carry information, replicate and spread on their own terms, being in charge of their own reproduction. 

It’s from this first concept that brought us memes or at least helped us define what a meme is. 

In the period from 1921-1999, one of the first memes that transcended age, location and culture was that of Kilroy. 

‘Kilroy was here’ was a meme that became popular throughout World War II in forms of Graffiti around the world. It was so common that Hitler even theorized that it was a code name for a high-ranking allied spy. 

But, while this might be one of the first memes it wasn't really a meme like we know them today. This cultural concept found popularity with the rise of the internet, and the very first Internet memes were conceived. Though thought of as different to the original concept, the word ‘meme’ has become synonymous with these humorous snippets of information transmitted in a variety of formats.

The digital era brought, ‘baby cha-cha’ a dancing baby animation which spread through the internet like wildfire back in 1996.

Nowadays any major happening is always accompanied with a barrage of memes. The most recent example would be of the Russia-Ukraine war. As the Russia-Ukraine war is getting uglier, memes criticizing the UN and NATO for its inaction are flooding the internet!

Knowing meme, Knowing you!

Over the last two decades, memes have undeniably affected how people formulate and express their opinions on topics, political or otherwise.

One of the most prominent meme was the #ZodiacTed which went viral during the 2016 US elections. The meme portrayed Ted Cruz as a zodiac killer. A  research survey by ‘Public Policy Polling’ concluded that due to these memes nearly 40% of Florida voters believed that he was genuinely a zodiac murderer and their voting decisions were influenced by this meme.

Memes have become a colossal part of our everyday life and have found a way into everything, even office presentations and businesses. Over the years different memes have created different opinionative sides to them which may not be liked by certain people and may be misleading for others.

It is therefore imperative to discuss the impact meme culture has on us. 

Do they have a positive or negative impact? 

Should they be freely propagated? 

Although memes are mostly light-hearted, they can have both positive and a negative impact on our lives. 

The implications of meme culture have to be understood in a multi-faceted way. As Richard Dawkins put it, memes are said to be a deep-led means of communication with the intent of conveying information. It's up to the user whether it's done in a positive or negative manner. 

They can be safely regarded as the language of the internet which are frequently used as satirical commentary on social, political and cultural issues and are generally used to invoke some sort of reaction like disgust or awe from the person seeing them. They offer a way to present the information at hand in a simpler and elementary way which makes it easier to understand. 

Although in general, memes are harmless, they are far more potent than one may realize. People would generally retain an image with a short message much more easily than a detailed analysis and memory would serve to provide more emphasis on a short but evocative message. 

One can look at meme culture as allowing various important issues to proliferate as can be seen through many important political movements such as Occupy Wall street. Such movements are able to expand through memes because it allows people to speak in a common language mostly as an embodiment of humor that may not otherwise be understood. 

They also help society to challenge backward and toxic narratives. For instance, German activists formed a virtual community to fight hatred and right wing propaganda through innovative and humorous memes by starting #kein_grund_rassist_zu_werden (no reason to be racist). And now anyone who posts a meme under that hashtag is a part of this virtual movement. 

Memes also often address topics that are somewhat uncomfortable to discuss like politics, social concerns, cycle changes etc. which can be tackled using memes in a way that makes the point while also managing to bring  a smile/laugh, much like a mood filter or a coping mechanism. People revel in memes that can be the way they feel about something while also providing different perspectives and new outlooks on the topic at hand. 

They provide a sense of collectiveness in people's minds and a lot of times provide them relief over a topic they hated or felt anxious about. Like, maybe you have been feeling unproductive lately and you come across a meme that reflects your state of mind. Now, you can be at ease and find solace in the fact that you're not alone. Basically memes offer a bit of human connection in the digital realm. 

Memes which touch upon shared sufferings or experiences gain maximum popularity because they make us feel reassured and in company. For example, students greatly worried by the new pattern of the recent CBSE boards started expressing their stress through memes on various platforms and seeing it resonate with others helped lighten the load. 

The worst of days could be renewed with a happy meme or two but all is not well in the world of memes. 

Memes Can Be DAMAGING Too!

While they are an effective and concise way of putting forth information via pictures, they can often be used for more malicious intent such as misinformation on crucial matters such as vaccines or targeting a certain race of people. As was seen in the recent Covid pandemic, there was a surge of anti vaccine memes on the internet. Anti-vaccine groups like the Awaken India movement are using these memes to push the propaganda through images that might even convince the best of us. 

The Let's Go Brandon movement which certainly undercuts the presidency of Joe Biden, is another perfect example of how memes can be used in a negative manner. The reality is that on the face of it, one could reasonably say that the meme itself is not actually on Joe Biden but in most subcultures or internet-based slang cultures it is understood that certain terminologies have a certain meaning and that's how communication operates in that paradigm. 

As a student living in this Covid world, I procrastinate as frequently as a teacher gets tired of a mic not working issue.

So genetically I am looking for the comfort of knowing that I am not the only unmotivated teen out there which of course comes from a relatable meme defining the clear choice between shooting myself in the head and completing that math assignment.

But what is that meme doing to me? 

Is it calming my anxiety or is it weakening my determination to learn that trigonometry formula along with justifying suicide as just a mere thing. 

The memes back in 2011-12 were mostly light-hearted and comic, but today's memes have become both insensitive and senseless. The meme culture has promoted a very casual approach to sensitive topics like death, repression, fat shaming, objectification of women, among others. 

Due to the wide reach a viral meme could get, they have been used by extremist groups on reddit to spread hate speech and messages of intolerance. Dark humour memes have become a subject of controversy as to whether such memes should be deemed closely acceptable or not. 

Popular memes like ‘high expectation Asian father’ create an aura of racial similarity and neglect to address the variety and complexity of individual mental representations. This is exactly what well-renowned psychologist and cognitive psychologist Paul Thagard explained and how memes expressing extreme thoughts on cultural representation can have a detrimental effect. 

How do you like it if your first prize was just a facade of you locked up in handcuffs?

Imagine you are a cartoonist. You create chill illustrations for comics and none of them went viral as a meme. All’s going well until that meme is given hitler style mustaches and is associated with white supremacy in the USA. This is what Matt Furie went through when his creation, which had never meant to stand for more than love and peace was turned into a symbol of hate. He was furious with the outcomes and has still not been able to recover Pepe, the frog back to the cool character it was supposed to be. 

This is what's become now. Comedic cartoons turn into hate symbols and tragic events into comedic memes. 

The worst part is the majority of people go with the flow blindly and start defaming someone they probably haven't even heard about. 

Speaking of creators, in order to make memes more and more relatable or funny, they feed off others' insecurities and even take to using topics like sexism, homophobia, and mental illness without considering the consequences of their actions. Painting Millie Bobby Brown as a Homophobe isn't funny at all! It's Despicable!

Moreover, while memes do spread awareness they are still mostly a popularity seeking tool for their creators. So, it is only the majoritative point of view that gets highlighted while other opinions are often overshadowed. 

Business wise, everybody loves Zomato’s humorous takes on Panipuri but that doesn’t mean we would suddenly choose the app over more discounts nor does it change the reality of the company being a loss making machine because of its business model. 

Mumbai police is famous for its cool and trending memes too but just because it is cracking them up doesn’t mean the people will follow the rules.  

So, memes are like cheeseburgers, highly alluring in appearance, flavour, and texture, but lacking in nutrients. They feed you up a bit (on the news agenda), but you really need a decent meal, like reading a respected newspaper to nurture your body and mind.

I personally find internet memes to be biological viruses that infect a host, replicate via the shared button and once they are in the wild, they spread like fire. A fire we cannot control or extinguish, causing havoc and chaos. 

At the end of the day, it can neither be said that meme culture is positive or negative. But rather I believe that the answer is a bit more complicated than that. Memes in a sense can be compared to a knife, you can either stab someone or slice a cake. 

A particular meme may make one person laugh and the other person angry but one thing is certain that a meme can help us communicate our feelings. A meme is a tool and while any tool can be misused, any tool can also be used to create amazing things.

As a conclusion, memes do have a lot of potential to evoke different emotions in different people, bring joy, start intelligent debate, spark creativity and revolution but for now there is not much to say in its praise. 

Bibliography

https://www.ypulse.com/article/2019/03/05/3-stats-that-show-what-memes-mean-to-gen-z-millennials/

https://www.amity.edu/gwalior/jccc/pdf/jcc-journal-december-2017-13-17.pdf

https://medium.com/@V.E.M.E/the-relationship-between-memes-and-social-change-dbf168520eb

https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d59544e786b444e/share_p.html

https://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/our-university/outreach-for-schools-and-colleges/extended-project-qualification-epq-support/knowing-meme-knowing-you-how-memes-influence-our-society

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/cryptocurrency/meme-nfts-the-new-way-to-make-money/articleshow/92142556.cms?from=mdr

https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/where-are-you-from-viral-memes-twitter-reactions-5198671/