If there’s one thing we’re pretty sure about, it’s that if something exists on the net, someone will make sure to create a few hilarious memes about it. Nowadays, we use memes in a stunning variety of ways, and their explosive growth can be explained by their format and hilariously contagious nature. After all, they’re the perfect attention trap that allows us to consume them in mere seconds before scrolling down to the next one.
To learn more about the meme universe, we reached out to Bradley E. Wiggins, Ph.D., author of The Discursive Power of Memes in Digital Culture and an associate professor and department head of Media Communications at Webster Vienna Private University.
We were curious to learn what makes memes such a great communication medium that can contribute to discussions on virtually any type of topic. According to him, we should first take a look at this phenomenon from a different perspective: "What is it about our attention span that means we want tightly-packaged chunks of information we commonly refer to as memes?"
"Another researcher in this area, Limor Shifman, has referred to this as the hyper-memetic, meaning that once an event — say the war in Ukraine or the Depp-Heard trial — captures attention, the memes flow. On the one hand, of course this makes sense: people want to get in on the gossip or the latest info," he told Bored Panda. "But more importantly, and maybe a bit disturbingly, on the other hand, this means that we can't really determine what's more important, so we pay attention to all of it."
In Wiggins’ personal and professional opinion, it’s all about semiotics. Or in other words, it’s about interpreting symbols and signs and trying to grasp how meaning is communicated. "Semiotics concerns itself with the way meaning is constituted, and this is especially relevant to memes given their visual nature," the professor explained. "The problem is that this applies to both funny and silly memes as well as highly offensive and hurtful memes such as those posted by extremist groups online (like 4chan)."
The list of why memes are so appealing to us is filled to the brim with different reasons. These funny pictures allow us to share easy-to-digest cultural information with the whole world. They also make it easier for us to unwind from our daily troubles and can significantly improve our mood. And the fact that they are easily relatable to people of all age groups makes them seem even more likable.
"Within an image and possibly also text on the image, it becomes possible to recontextualize the image, the moment, the event, etc.," Wiggins said, adding that memes become something we can digitally handle and transfer to others.
"It's ultimately an aspect of social ties to one another deteriorating over time causing the need for connecting with others to take the form of sharing memes, at least in one way of seeing this overall picture," the professor noted.
Moreover, funny jokes we stumble upon online provide us with comic relief we sometimes desperately seek, especially living through difficult times. Since memes can add a touch of comedy to any situation, they lower our stress levels and help us relax. "Considering recent events, such as the war in Ukraine, the topic of humor has been (historically) quite important for many cultures during times of crisis."
"Consider the character of The Good Soldier Švejk, popularized in Czechia but also Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Austria. That figure offered a release from the strict restraints of Soviet rule by means of 'safe' jokes about the military," he continued.
"The same can be said of Saturday Night Live in NYC during many eras, but perhaps most recently from the Trump era. Consider the Dave Chappelle guest appearance on SNL parody of the 2016 election night. It was ultimately a way of laughing at white privilege due to slow realizations about a Trump presidency," Wiggins provided yet another example of how comedy can help us find comfort in hectic times.
