Memes…for jokes or to be taken seriously?

A meme is an artifact that is passed on from person to person and spread throughout society. It is a cultural element of a system or behavior. It can be a humorous image, video, text, phrase, etc. that can be repeated and spread online. Specifically, memes are often found on the Internet and on social media platforms. 

It can also be carried by repetition and imitation and altered in a creative or humorous way.

When I think or say the word meme, I oftentimes instantly think of a funny image or gif with a phrase overlaying it. Some memes are relatable which make them funny and some are used to inform or educate an audience about a certain topic. Therefore, I think that memes are often shown on social media to be humorous. In addition, I think that professional accounts use memes to grab the attention of an audience and be more personable with those that view their content.

The meme shown below is meant to be humorous. It is humorous because many people can relate to it when purchasing an order, especially if it’s something you’ve been wanting or waiting for. I can personally say that I have done this in the past where I’m constantly checking to see if my package has arrived or if the delivery person is outside about to deliver it.

In this meme, Reddit was adding humor by placing a gif to a statement that many can relate to. Because Reddit is meant to inform and generally has funny posts, many are often caught unintentionally scrolling through their feed, especially when going to bed, and soon realizing that they are twenty plus posts deep and going to bed later than they anticipated to.

2 thoughts on “Memes…for jokes or to be taken seriously?

  1. Zachara,
    I completely agree that memes are meant to be humorous, but once in awhile memes leave their humorous community and reach into a demographic that doesn’t understand that memes are jokes. “Dank Memes” are frequently used at the expense of other people, and while our generation understands Pepe the Frog is meant to be funny, big media sources have demonized the innocent frog and turned it into a symbol of white power. So while I think memes are meant to be funny, it is important to note that they’re not always secluded to the community they are meant for, and they could pick up a completely new meaning in the process of moving into another demographic.

  2. Hi Zachara,
    I agree with everything you’ve said in this post. I definitely think of memes as humorous when the word comes to my mind too. But they definitely have an educational and informative side to them as well. Good job with this post!

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