IN THE advent of technology, communication has become much more complicated and dynamic. Younger generations have learned to adapt to this new wave by becoming more creative in the way they convey the messages they want. The existence of memes is proof of this.
According to Moreau (2019), memes are any idea of concept expressed in any form of content (pictures, gif, etc.). Thus it is quite difficult to give it a real working definition. When one person opens their social media account and scroll through their feed, it is impossible to not see at least one or more memes.
Memes have evolved so much that people don’t know where it all began. Old memes like the Me Gusta memes shared around Tumblr have reached other social media platforms and, sometimes, can still be seen today. Internet users used memes so much that memes can range from simple everyday struggles to political issues occurring around the globe.
One of the reasons why it has become so used is because it is relevant and relatable. As long as one meme is found to be humorous by a number of netizens, it instantly becomes a big hit. In a sense, relaying messages have become as simple as one picture. Anyone can create a meme and it can be easily shared by anyone on the internet. But they can also become too exclusive to a certain demographic. They can also be easily lost in translation because, as they say, a picture paints a thousand words.
Using memes requires creative and also critical thinking. Thus, even if it’s so simple, a message can be, both effectively relayed and be easily deconstructed through memes. (Allison Gomez/Communication student, Malayan Colleges of Mindanao)