Memes serve many purposes and functions, but at a fundamental level, they're an expression of people’s thoughts and emotions, and their cultural significance is bigger than many of us realize.
The 2011 introduction of Meme Studies, an actual major at Northwestern University in the US state of Illinois, can be used as a marker of how much of an impact the internet has had on society, including shaping language and beliefs.
"We live in a meme-based world, there's no denying that,” said Northwestern sociology professor Grant Richards at the time.
"While it might not be considered standard academic material, I believe that ... it shows we're embracing the changing culture and not remaining stagnant."
The material included courses such as 'Introduction to Redditology,' 'History of the Internet: IRC, /b/, and Beyond,' and 'The Sociology of Rage Comics.'
According to researchers looking at modern forms of communication, memes can even be thought of as a language in themselves, with a capacity to transcend cultures and the ability to construct collective identities between people. No wonder they can be so universal and relatable.
Internet memes "are one of the clearest manifestations of the fact there is such a thing as digital culture", Paolo Gerbaudo, a reader in digital politics and director of the Centre for Digital Culture at Kings College London, explained.
Gerbaudo views memes as "sort of a ready-made language with many kinds of stereotypes, symbols, situations. A palette that people can use, much like emojis."
The beautiful thing about the Instagram account 'Meme Goates' is that you don't have to be deeply embedded in internet culture to understand its content. It's fun to look at and share as it is!
