Social media has an immense influence in forming and shaping views in people’s minds. It is a very strong and effective tool that is being rampantly used by the whole world. One such technique used by social media is the circulation of memes. Its popularity lies in the fact that it uses humorous visual images that are shared across the internet within a short span. Memes give preference to visual content that makes it more understandable and it is seen that we can retain such a piece of information for a long time because we have viewed the content that was paired with relevant images. Some memes get circulated for years after years whereas some lead a short yet impactful life.
Covers a Wide Sector
Since its main purpose is to bring forth people’s opinions and expressions, memes do not restrict themselves to a particular sphere. Anything can be converted into a meme with the proper use of images or videos. Initially, when memes started their journey, they were made out of cartoons, TV advertisements, famous movie scenes, or well-known poetry or music. But now you are most likely to witness memes being used on one hand to showcase serious issues like various social or political or religious malpractices and on the other, it is also seen to deal with ‘not so serious’ issues like baby memes, animal memes, break up memes, and many more. To have a clear idea of such concepts, Meme Scout can help you out.
Challenging Stereotypical Ideas
Our society is full of rigid unwritten norms. Memes are being circulated widely to break such stereotypical notions. As it has a very casual and satirical approach in dealing with such things, the seriousness of the issues doesn’t impact the target people as it would have if it was done in any other way.
Effective Propaganda Tool
The use of memes in the political fields has significantly increased in recent times. Various critiques believe that its simplicity makes it an effective and rapid medium to spread political views. Since most of the common people have access to this form of social media, many complex ideologies can be preached to the mass very easily. So, for addressing political issues memes play a vital role.
Economical Impact
Memes no doubt has evolved as an effective communicative media tool. So, it will surely have an impact on the economy. Viewers are potent consumers too. When used strategically, it can aid in increasing consumption of the content used in a meme. Branding, as well as marketing, is being consciously done through the generation and circulation of memes.
The Darker Side of Meme
It is needless to state that, it has a darker side too. When memes are seen to engage shock-humor, they give rise to ripples of emotional reactions. It can be the reason for inciting hatred towards a particular race or sect of society. They can hamper a person’s mental health as well as damage a person’s career by posting harassing content. As memes wholly depend on visual content, recent studies have also shown that they are leading to the loss of effective verbal communication.
Conclusion
Everything has its good and bad sides. The faster we acknowledge and accept that, the easier it will be for us to carry on with our lives. No doubt, memes are responsible for shaping our social, cultural, religious, and economic perspectives; but we also need to be conscious viewers to minimize meme’s negative effects and solely give preference to derive humor out of them.
