The worldwide internet phenomenon that has increasingly become loved by many teens is known as memes. What are memes you say? The word “meme,” which originated in 1976, is defined as an idea, behavior or style that spreads around a population of people conveying a theme. Memes have become well-known over the past few years and many memes have blown up among the world including salt bae, how Italians, dat boi, doge, me hoy minoy, planking, and the dress.
Memes may be popular but why and how? Why are they so appealing to the generations of teens currently? Some say that they are funny or make light in a bad event. They also can be created from any culture, most memes being typically an image, and shared online. It is not rare for people to share information from across the world but memes, specifically, allow young people to socialize worldwide.
However, memes have somewhat desensitized young adults from serious topics or previous things that used to not be a joke. One fan of memes, Bangnhi Nguyen, states that, “everything is taken as a joke now. Everything and everybody is a joke.” Children and teens, nowadays, see a simple situation, object, or person and immediately find it as a joke even though it may not be. Memes can also be dangerous. A previous trend called planking, where a person lays face down on something, killed several people around the world. Memes usually cannot be taken seriously but the creators should watch out for offensive topics or danger.
Overall, memes are a unique and fun part about our world today. As long as they are intended for light humor and networking, memes will hopefully be around for a while.
photo credit: https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2016/09/28/pepe-joins-echoes-new-hate-symbols