I am a conscious human being with a decent sense of humor and consistent access to wifi, which is to say I love memes. Especially Gordon Ramsay memes. (And Harambe memes, Kanye memes, and my current favorite: CASH ME OUTSIDE, HOWBOW DAH). Memes are great because they are simple, condensed expressions of often complex cultural humor and even cultural critique, and social media platforms allow virtually anyone to participate in this new form of entertainment. At their best, memes are funny, they’re ironic, they’re egalitarian, they’re Micah-approved.
Any negative opinion I have about memes, then, is directed at those that are not true to what memes ought to be. There are, in my view, certain kinds of memes which are in fact destructive to our relationships, communication, discernment, and intelligence.
The memes I have in mind are those which serve as news for many individuals. These usually are of some sort of political persuasion, be it Libertarian, Green Party, Democrat, Republican, or anything in between.
For example, on the same day of the Women’s March on Washington I came upon a meme with the text “Claim Trump will destroy the country, [while they] actually destroy the country.” The photo showed a group of young African American people sitting on top of a car, with fire, protesters, rioters, and police officers surrounding them at a Ferguson, Missouri protest in 2014. (I know this because I did a google search on the image).
There are several problems here: the first, of course, is the blatant misinformation the meme spread by insinuating that the protests happening across the world that day were anything like the (arguably justified) unrest in Ferguson. The second is the not-so-subtle racism embedded in the picture and text combination. There’s a reason the creator of the meme used a photo of black protesters allegedly “destroying the country” rather than a photo of white people rioting. Which groups voted for Mr. Trump in droves, and which groups took to the streets following his election (and how)?
The third problem with this meme is that it uses the same method of humorous memes on news, which inevitably corrupts the truth. There is no way that the textual claim of the meme will actually communicate what those who are resisting Mr. Trump’s administration are claiming about themselves, nor does it communicate what those loyal to Mr. Trump see as “destroying the country.” Perhaps it is the opposite of “Make America great again?” We cannot know for sure if we are using memes as our guide.
It isn’t only those in Mr. Trump’s camp who do this. Many of my progressive/Democrat friends have shared a meme that by social media standards is pretty ancient, though it still pops up often in my news feed. The text, laid over a picture of Dwight Schrute from The Office, reads “You think being anti-abortion makes you pro-life? False. You are simply pro-birth with no regard for the quality of life.”
I suppose I agree with the very core of the sentiment, that one cannot be truly “pro life” without supporting political candidates and measures which would protect the sanctity of life after birth too. Yet I have to admit that this is what I am bringing to the meme: my own reasoned, nuanced idea which I’ve had years to ponder over. Is that kind of reflection what this meme is encouraging, though? I think not. In fact, I think this meme would have me lump all those who oppose abortion into a single group. It would have me ignore pro-life feminists and Democrats. It would have me lump those who wish to restrict abortion together with those who wish to restrict SNAP and Social Security disability benefits. It would have me uncritically assume that those who are anti-abortion/pro-life don’t blink an eye at poor kids and struggling single moms.
There may be a connection to voting for anti-abortion/pro-life candidates and supporting other conservative political agendas, but that is something one learns from sustained attention to reputable news sources, not simplistic memes.
I admit, the problems I’ve noted with each of these specific memes are symptomatic of the real issue. What makes the trend of political newsmemes so alarming is that so many uncritically absorb them with stunning ease. Perhaps this is because we have been trained to see photographs as solid proof or evidence; if we’ve got a photo, we don’t need research. Perhaps we feel too stressed and busy to commit to being politically aware and active, so we share concise memes instead. The reasons are understandable, but they don’t erase the fact that newsmemes do not and will never live up to the standard of reliable journalism. It seems to me that the most useful thing they’re good for is sorting how your Facebook friends voted.
If you want real, quality news, stop believing memes. Stop reading fake news from Daily Dot, Daily Buzz, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, Fox News, Mic.com, The Blaze, and Charisma News. Instead, close out your Facebook app and read the New York Times, The Washington Post, BBC, and Politico.com, all of which have apps for your phone and tablet.