Memes…

I love memes. I think I follow almost every meme account or page there’s on social media. I even have meme apps on my phone. Over time, I have realized that, in as much as I enjoy memes, I find other memes quite offensive, depressing and insulting. I know I am not the only one that found themselves typing something like  ‘sad memes’ on our browsers.

Memes have become some sort of an inside joke we all enjoy and share on and off the internet. Primarily, memes are meant to be a funny, sarcastic or ludic way of going about cultural, societal or any other natural phenomenon happening in our lives.

A meme could be a picture, video, a GIF or a picture with some text inscribed on it. The message is always humorous or sarcastic. Memes are contagious; once a good one is shared, it’ll spread across the internet like wildfire.

People can share their experiences, feelings, opinions and news using a picture or video with a very relatable caption and that becomes a meme. Memes are also used by brands and corporations to reach a greater audience and as a promotion tool.

Memes could be used positively to express our opinions, fight corruption and racism, create awareness, promote brands and/or even call out something inappropriate.

While memes were initially a light-hearted way of sharing issues on social media, many people have made them a way to make fun out of issues that are not essentially light-hearted… (suicide, death, depression, racism, tribalism, hopelessness; to name but a few).There’s a pretty thin line between humor and insults when it comes to creating and sharing memes.

I think we need draw a line, when it comes to such.
Memes that glorify depression and suicide are not  bit healthy.
Memes that promote racism /colorism/ tribalism are not even a little bit funny.
Memes that encourage bullying/ stereotyping/sexism are not funny.
Memes that promote hate speech and terrorism shouldn’t be glorified.
Memes that encourage domestic violence, rape, child abuse should not be shared or even created.

If you’re familiar with social media, a day will never pass without you seeing a meme. Do you think that , abusive, insulting, stereotyping memes actually exist? Do you find memes glorifying toxic behaviors or people, depression and suicide unsettling or unfair?

Remember…
What’s funny to you, might be an insult to another.