How did memes even become our language?

In 2021, the Los Angeles Times began taking memes so seriously that their assistant director for audience, Samantha Melbourneweaver, started building her own “meme team” to connect more with younger readers. It might sound absurd but perhaps several other publications would have to follow suit if they wish to stay relevant for new-age audiences. 

Cultures change every day and information about such culture changes can be transmitted through imitation of this information. As one person tells another person about what’s happening, there would be variations but the central idea would be the same. In the context of the Internet, this central idea, this framework, this template is what we know as the ‘meme’.

Initially used as a concept for social and psychological theories, it was Richard Dawkins (a scholar who is otherwise known for his outspoken atheism) who coined the term in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene. 

Decades later, the meme has found a new life as the Gen-Z gain access to the Internet. In the early 2010s, memes could be seen as harmless, childish jokes but now memes have evolved into agents of change. In fact, the user base of memes is no longer limited to just the Gen-Z as the following meme will show:

Dark times require dark memes: In the name of dark or ‘dank’ humor, memes can be used for targeting particular communities and reinforcing harmful stereotypes. On the other hand, there is a wave of non-offensive dark memes that are intended as coping mechanisms from times of global crisis. For instance, when the Trump-led USA killed Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, ‘World War 3’ memes began trending. The Gen-Z accepted that such military upheavals might lead to a global war. And how does this generation express their fears and thoughts on this hypothetical war? They make memes, of course. 

A similar trend could be observed with this year’s Russia-Ukraine crisis with Ukraine's official Twitter account itself sharing memes against Russia's actions. Ukraine proves how memes can turn into tools of nationalism. 

Even the Gen-Z joined in with multiple meme takes on the ongoing. But with multiple accounts of human rights violations against Ukrainian civilians coming into light, the question remains: where do we draw the line with humor? This is perhaps a question that will keep on puzzling the new generation for the years to come. It’s clear that much like the rest of the internet, meme-making can also have its grey areas. 

A democracy of memes: As is common knowledge, all major Indian political parties have dedicated social media accounts that not only inform the general public about policies, mainfestos, and ideologies but also share memes. A major example was the 2020 Delhi elections when AAP, Congress, and BJP engaged in an all-out meme spat on Twitter. The internet was amused. Some youngsters enjoyed how the parties were catching on modern trends while some 'boomers' argued how these memes might trivialise elections. 

All the best Sir @ManojTiwariMP pic.twitter.com/C9oTfInf7u

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) January 12, 2020

कांग्रेस वाले दुल्हनिया ले जाएंगे।
आप और बीजेपी देखते रह जाएंगे। @AamAadmiParty @BJP4India pic.twitter.com/3i2fUrtQgB

— Delhi Congress (@INCDelhi) January 13, 2020

Coming to the US, the Democrat and Republicans might not have used memes on their official accounts but their supporters are active 'meme warriors'. In fact, in 2017, Donald Trump himself shared a video meme by one of his supporters. The meme incorporated a video of Trump taking down a man in WWE. In the meme, the CNN logo was superimposed on the man's face showing how Trump is taking down such media outlets.

As reported by The New York Times, the now-deleted meme was created by an anonymous Redditor who has had a history of making anti-Semitic memes. When Trump retweeted the Reddit user's meme, he is reported to have written, "Wow!! I never expected my meme to be retweeted by the God Emperor himself!!!" This one case study itself proves how the spread of political agendas will be carried forward with memes, for good or bad. 

Memes at the workplace: Memes have become agents of self-expression. You're frustrated at your boss or office? Go ahead, make a meme and share it on your office gossip group on WhatsApp. But now, humanity has now entered a stage where memes can even get you hired.  A viral TikTok video by 'swedish swan' is a case in point. When the woman received a rejection letter from a workplace she had applied to, she decided to send a meme as a reply. The meme in this case was a common template involving a disproportionate painting of Pope Leo X with the words "y tho?" (the Gen-Z way of saying "why though"). Amused by the rather-informal reply to their mail, the company changed their mind and asked her to sit for another interview!

Another high-profile example was in 2019 when Elon Musk hired his new social media editor just due to his meme-making skills. It all started when England's The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) shared a Twitter post of a significantly large sheep with the caption "Look at this absolute unit". In meme lingo, the term "absolute unit" is often used to depict an unusually large thing (especially in the context of animals like dogs). This witty post by MERL was the doing of Adam Koszary who soon caught the eye of Musk. The Tesla CEO not only changed his Twitter DP to that of the sheep but he also reached out to Koszary, asking him to join Tesla's social media team!

Memes in casual forums of discussion aren't surprising. After all, they did spring out of social media. Even today, the trend of 'sh*tposting' on social media incorporates the most bizarre and random of humour in the form of seemingly senseless memes. But with memes finding their way in journalism, politics, and the office, it is worth noting how memes have evolved into a new language on their own. After all, the writer of this article is also filing a story about memes and making memes while sitting at his office desk!