Nowadays, it seems nearly impossible to go about your day and not see some sort of meme surrounding either a political or activist issue. The idea surrounding “memes” and meme culture is that it is any picture or trend that is replicative can be manipulated and changed easily in order to bring out a certain idea or response. Since its beginnings, memes have been shared and changed and shared again for everybody to see. Many may think that the only purpose of memes is to make people laugh and then be done with it. However, they hold so many more important purposes. They can bring out the smartest ideas in people, promoting great change and thought.
According to writer Stephanie Vie, “memes operate within cultures and are responses to the desires, interests, and needs of the specific host culture within which they emerge and spread” [1]. This holds true with most memes we see today on any social media platform. No matter the issue or circumstance in the “host culture,” there is sure to be a meme surrounding that idea. In order to have a successful meme, however, they must be “attuned to the social and cultural specifics of their audience” as well as “play on familiar visual or textual concepts or rely on culturally relevant songs, jokes, or sayings” [1]. Meaning the memes have to play to their audience. If you are trying to get the attention of young adults, the meme would contain different language and references than would a meme trying to attract the attention of adults. We see this with the exponential rise of political memes.
A political meme can be described, as Chris Tenove states, as “a purposefully designed visual framing of a position,” meaning a visual representation of how somebody stands on a particular issue surrounding politics [2]. Either for the purposes of making people laugh, simply raising questions or ideas about a certain topic, or even enlightening people about something they may not had known prior. I know I definitely have learned so much political information from memes that I otherwise would not have known because I am not very involved in politics.
Since Trump’s Presidency, there has been a dramatic rise in meme culture and its prevalence in daily life. Everyday it seems as if a Donald Trump meme is scratching the surface. The reason for its success is because it is so sharable and relatable for so many people, depending on their political interests. There are both positive and negative memes regarding Donald Trump, but nonetheless, he has completely revolutionized meme culture as it stands.
Beyond just political use, memes are also used to bring about social change. The examples are endless with the black live matter movement, the gay pride movement, the #MeToo movement and so much more. These memes bring attention to the situation at hand surrounding a major social issue. Without the traction that memes have, many of these issues and trends would not have become as big as they could have been. Social media websites are so prevalent in the spreading of ideas that without them, many of these movements would be disintegrated.
I believe that the use of memes as a path for activism is a smart and good use of the platform. Yes memes are funny and can make you laugh, but memes that also bring your attention to important matters at hand are ones that you will remember for longer. The fact that a picture or video can stay with you and can be modified is so special and integral for our society today. In a day-in-age where cell phones and the internet is so prevalent, it is good that people are making use and spreading important messages and beliefs through this forum.
Works Cited:
[1] VIE (2014) “In defense of slaktivism: The Human Rights Campaign Facebook logo as digital activism”
[2] TENOVE (2019) “The meme-ification of politics: Politicians & their ‘lit’ memes”
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