April 14, 2020
Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock knows social media pretty much rules our lives nowadays. But what I think makes social media so addictive is the power of memes.
Funny jokes paired with pictures and gifs are the epitome of millenial and Gen Z humor.
If you get on your device and head to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, you will most likely be caught liking a meme or two before you finish your scrolling.
As a technological generation, we tend to go through high times and low times reflected by how amazing our memes are.
A great example of a low time would be the time of the moth meme—when that light addicted moth took over the internet. Seriously though, what was that? (Insert disappointed emoji here).
The best example of a high time in “dank meme-ery” would have to be 2020. Lately, meme kings have been creating and smashing the share button since the ball dropped on midnight of Jan. 1. But why?
Earlier this year, a big political move by President Donald Trump created not so much of a scare, but a simple panic that was taken care of very quickly by the internet.
WWIII memes featured some great meme material, mostly satirizing the draft and feminists everywhere succumbing to misogynistic jokes about getting back to the kitchen.
As awful as that sounds, it was really all about some laughs and going viral in one night. Not exactly something to be taken too seriously. Afterall, I’m sure we are all guilty of taking part in the WWIII meme parade.
Elections have also heated up and so have those “fire” memes. Turn a corner and there is sure to be a Bernie picture with the words “I am once again asking for your support,” followed by another sentence adding the humor and making the meme.
Lately, however, we have been dealing with coronavirus, and the many issues that have come with it. As a population, some of us are scared while others foster a “devil may care” attitude.
No matter what the feelings may be, we have all learned that the quarantine has brought out the best memes to help us cope with the dread in the isolated world. I can honestly say that, during my time of quarantine, sitting on my couch could not have been more entertaining had it not been for the best memes I have ever seen in my life!
Even though, collectively, the internet makes fun of huge national issues, such as WWIII, the 2020 election and the coronavirus outbreak, memes have become the best they’ve been in a long time.
Whether or not some people feel hostile towards making fun of sensitive issues or find it downright hilarious, we can at least take comfort in the fact that we are trying to make light of stressful situations.