The Relevancy of Memes in Modern Society

The start of every new month means two things: new world events and more importantly, new memes. While teenagers in the 80s had TV networks and those in the 90s had blogs as sources of information and communication, Gen-Z has memes.  

The meme, initially created in the mid 90s but popularized in the mid 2000s, is a comical image, video, or text that people create and share on social media. Although to some, the meme might appear as simply another silly pop culture trend, they hold immense power in teenage society. Statistically speaking, Gen-Z is one of the most, if not the most, socially and politically active generations to have existed. In 2018, voter turnout was the highest it had been in 40 years, with participation in the 18-29 years old range increasing by 79 percent (Census Bureau). But what is the cause or enabler of this political activism? While the internet and technology as a whole probably are large proponents, the meme’s role in this change should not be dismissed.  

While many memes are simply comical and ridiculous in nature, many of them address politics and current affairs, especially in today’s world. When asked if they had ever learned about current events from memes, one tennis player said, “Yes, 100%. I learned a lot about the stock market and bitcoin.” This was not an unpopular sentiment. In fact, of 30 IMG students surveyed, 28 of them said that they continually learn about current affairs and political issues from the memes they encounter online. Universally, the surveyed students characterized memes as a fundamental way Gen-Z learns and “spreads information.” One soccer player summed up her relationship to memes, saying that they “connect [her] to the real world in a comical way.” While most widespread ideas or trends are often controversial and viewed as only partially beneficial, this is not necessarily the case with memes. Despite some of the participants believing memes to be “the source of false information sometimes,” they were generally regarded as a solely beneficial addition to society, with many saying that they acted as a unifier and were a good way to educate teenagers and include teenagers in larger conversations.   

January saw the creation of many new memes—especially political ones. In response to this boom, participants were asked to rate January memes on a scale of one to ten as seen below. While everyone had slightly varying tastes in memes, the trend lines were fairly obvious. Some were a big hit while others simply fell flat in their eyes. Like many other things, meme-making appears to be an art. But the question remains: will it be an art and trend that continues or will it become an anachronism like blogs and MTV? Regardless, the meme continues to deeply impact and shape the life of teenagers around the globe, and its power should not be underestimated.   

This meme is a play-off of an earlier meme but with Bernie at the inauguration in the image instead of the female that had been in the previous meme. Many found this image to be lackluster and not overly comical.

Rating: 5.5

This meme was created in response to people’s hesitation to take the coronavirus vaccine. It received a fairly positive reaction but no extreme laughter.  

Rating: 8.375

This meme relates to the Gamestop stock market debacle in January. Many survey participants needed further explanation, but those that understood the image were highly amused.

rating: 6.8

This meme is related to the storming of the US Capitol on January 6th. This meme was very well received.

Rating: 8.5