The golden era of memes: how media creates art
It all started with Impact font and someone who was passionate about cats. Dating back to ancient times when the computer was first invented, this strange phenomenon has left a lasting mark on our society that can never be changed. That’s right, we’re talking about memes. From the archaic Bad Luck Brian to the relatively new zodiac meme, the internet shapes our daily lives, whether or not we’re completely aware.
For those unaccustomed to internet culture, memes can be any picture, video, or phrase that is taken in by internet users and repeated, changed, and reused, until the meme has completed its circle of life and dies. In other words, they are inside jokes shared by the entire internet.
People feel a sense of power because memes are a part of culture that they can influence and take part in, unlike television or movies. With memes, ordinary people are the ones with influence over pop culture, pioneering a new, golden age of expression. Meme culture is so quickly moving that when companies try to make ads or jokes using the latest memes, the internet has already moved onto the next craze.
Internet users have taken such a liking to memes because, rather than being basic jokes, they are generally implications or metaphors that relate to people’s lives. However, it also means that if you haven’t experienced memes, you often aren’t “in the loop” and won’t find some of them funny.
We are such a consumer-heavy society that something could be funny one week, and cringe-worthy the next. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just means that our sense of humor has changed a lot in the past decade. Many older people fail to understand how something so simple could become such a huge craze. However, it is not the meme itself that is so popular, but rather the origin and implied message.
The most well known example of a meme is Pepe the frog. This timeless image has survived for years, surpassing all other memes, because it is so simple. No matter how people are feeling, Pepe the frog applies. People can use the iconic sad (or angry) frog to talk about problems like doing homework, or express their opinions about the upcoming election.
Generally, the image of the frog is used to represent sadness or disappointment in a satirical manner. However, it also means that people have a visible connection, so we can understand each other more through a funny, yet relatable joke.
Memes are an outlet of emotions. You no longer have to be a sophisticated artist or a writer to express how you feel. Instead, you can reference a meme, and everyone laughs. The internet was an initial step in bringing people together, but memes have taken that one step further by creating a personal bond between people around the world.
Our society’s rapid shift into a more open minded and accepting view has created an environment where memes can prosper and show the connections between people who are otherwise so different. We’re simple farmers tending our meme crops.
People often say that art reflects culture in a time period. With the internet as our canvas, young people are the driving force behind humor, emotion, thoughts and the opinions of the 21st century. All hail memes.
Graphic by Michael Hellard/Prowler
