To me, a meme is digital content created to entertain online viewers. Although the main purpose is entertainment, I think memes should be taken more seriously because they’re actually a very accurate representation of the larger issues in our society. What makes memes entertaining is that they typically ridicule human behavior, which is what takes the serious aspect out of them.  https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-meme-2483702

A good example of this is the meme pictured above referencing the recent developments of Coronavirus in China and how it is being brought to America by travelers. The outbreak has been deadly, affecting many people in China and now America. This meme pokes fun by insinuating that alcohol can kill this virus and a Corona bottle is used as a joke because of the name of the disease. This is a good example because it represents a larger issue in our society that is being made fun of even though it is referencing something of a serious nature.

 

This next meme is funny because Patrick Star, a character from Spongebob, is pictured with red eyes, which goes along well with the caption. This represents a larger issue in our society because the topic of marijuana being legalized has been a huge debate for many years now. This idea of someone being pictured high in front of their seemingly unaware parent touches on a current debate within American culture today in regards to the legalization of marijuana. Marijuana is still currently illegal in many states, so a lot of people deal with this issue in their life, making this meme very relatable content for Americans today.

In conclusion, memes take different aspects of popular culture (i.e. cartoon characters, celebrities, brands) and use them to poke fun at serious cultural themes within American society.