They say “Stop being predictable” and then I wrote about memes.
It’s a Sunday in June and you just spent the whole weekend doing some chores. It might take two minutes to take your bedsheet off and put it into the washing machine but arguably it might take 7 to 10 business days for you to actually do it. Imagine the huge pat on the back I gave to…erm myself, but all I could think of was this:
It’s funny how in the most desperate situations, we are hardwired to think of even funnier responses. I’m talking like doing some laundry is one of such situations, in the zone with the environment collapsing, inflation surging to its highest point in decades, cost of living through the roof, Raja finally getting a legendary star after four episodes etc, but what is this All Stars season may I ask? I then realised it’s just 2022 and this is the reality we’re living in. Not MCU-199999 I’m afraid.
There’s a “Memes” folder on my phone and it might be the most treasured thing to ever exist, along with screenshots of conversations. It’s a collection of experiences, traumas, heartbreaks, joy, happiness, and drunk conversations on IG at 3 am on a night out, or in short, it’s the lens I view life through. It’s the way I communicate. It’s the humour and satire that we use to navigate the world. At least for me. It’s some kind of coping mechanism when life gives you lemons and you can’t just make lemonade. Researchers, philosophers and psychologists have pointed out the relationship between humour and a wide range of positive psychosocial outcomes. It distracts us from problems and promotes lighter perspectives. Research has also identified five primary functions that humour serves for individuals and groups: coping, reframing, communicating, expressing hostility and constructing identities, but enough of it. Who am I, Sigmund Freud?
We turn to memes to process the reality and the “well-founded anxieties about the future” as Dazed put it. “Memes offers us a lifeline amidst the pervading feeling of uncertainty, as well a way to catalogue our collective and ever-changing moods”. We are no more than societal and cultural products. We’re living through the highs and lows of culture, vibe shifts or whatever we call it. Memes are an expression of the world around us, a cultural shorthand that imparts information more significantly than a simple text, an image or a video. It offers a context, cultural zeitgeist or a particular concept. In short, on one hand, it has everything to do with the moment; on the other hand, it stands the test of time, right in front of your salad. Distracted boyfriend has been circulating on the Internet since 2015 —It’s been seven years and it’s arguably one of the most popular memes on the Internet. That is to say, context and relevancy can have a huge impact on what a meme means. It’s a medium of messages and information.
Or might be not.
In his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins described the idea of a meme as a cultural entity or idea or behaviour that replicates, spreads and evolves as people interact with it.
“Memes (discrete units of knowledge, gossip, jokes and so on) are to culture what genes are to life. Just as biological evolution is driven by the survival of the fittest genes in the gene pool, cultural evolution may be driven by the most successful memes.”
This predates the Internet and he couldn’t know it at the time. Over time, this type of communication can distinguish those who are in-the-know and who aren’t, and act as a sensitive indicator to public opinion.
We’re at the stage right now where memes, the “memeification” and yassification of things have become necessary to have, not nice to have anymore. It’s all fun and games until it’s questionable. Guess what, everyone wants a piece of the gen Z cake and they do everything in their power to keep their finger on the pulse. Memeification and yassification are just a few of their many attempts.
The types of attempts that eventually turn out to be inauthentic or just another piece of corporate fabric to cover the behind-the-scenes, the bad and the ugly. Reimagine. Future-proof. Disruption. Best-in-class. Authentic. These types of buzz words are churned out at a speed that even Kris Jenner struggles to keep up with. Another June, another logo turned into a rainbow. But we are tired of fluff and no substance. Brands and corporations are being called out in more confrontational memes. Jumping on the bandwagon won’t work. We’ve got the receipts. Not speaking for anyone but have I told you I’ve got a folder of screenshots of conversations on my phone?
Think of this extremely viral video where comedian Meg Stalter pretended to be a company spokesperson who was uncomfortable with queer slang. “Hi, gay!”.
Think of “Let”s Grab Beers Tonight Queens”.
Think of “Man-hattan/She-hattan/They-hattan/We-hattan”.
I honestly do not wish to be perceived.
People on the Internet often talk about cultural reset. The baseball scene in Twilight? Cultural reset. Hannah Montana: The Movie? Cultural reset. Telephone by Beyonce and Lady Gaga? Cultural reset. And we are going through a cultural reset. We’re communicating real-world problems. We crave that unhinged and real energy that oftentimes is curated perfectly by Instagram. When Julia Fox said she was Josh Safdie’s muse in Uncut Gems, she set the Internet on fire. And she continues to be everything everywhere all at once. She knows we crave that unfiltered energy like we crave warmth as a child. We’re living in the 2000s and late and she’s living in the 3000s and legends. That is the real cultural reset, and memes are here to stay.
