Living life in the fear of being 'Meme-ified'
Of all the things the internet has given us, memes are perhaps the most ecstatic ones. These humorous visuals are what many of us look out for almost every time we come online or scroll through our social media pages. However, like any other thing you could possibly think of, memes also have two sides to them. We may go on liking meme after meme, sharing one or two from the wide range of options, laughing our socks off to some of them and so on. But is everyone so accepting of this 'meme culture'?
You may wonder how humour could be considered as something wrong or offensive in the first place, but have you ever been on the other side of a meme? Have you ever been 'meme-ified'?
Whether you're someone who is delivering a speech at a rally or trying to get yourself established on YouTube, the internet will be ruthless to all of you. These days, it's not just popular people who are the victims of internet memes, but also normal people like you and me, who are in danger of having our faces immortalised in memes. There are people who deliberately try their best to become a meme or go viral, but what is it that normal people do that end up becoming meme-worthy? The answer to this question is pretty simple. It's not what we do that ends up becoming a meme, it's the creativity of meme creators that can turn our very existence into memes.
The Picture Paranoia: If we start digging through our social media accounts, we are more or less likely to discover embarrassing photos of us. These weird pictures may be singles or group photos, unintentional or perhaps taken for the sake of fun. Whatever be the reason behind the existence of these pictures, you're afraid that they might fall into the wrong hands. These pictures with weird poses would work as the perfect templates for some amazing memes. Fearing the worst, you end up deleting those pictures from your social accounts and ask your friends to take down the ones you've been tagged in. The paranoia is real.
Social Media Posts: You may just want to rant about random things or events or perhaps it's just that you're feeling emotional with Em0 KiNG JonNy and 69 others. Social media is our go to place every time we feel like making a statement regarding someone or something, but it's not always the best option, especially when there are people waiting to find controversial or amusing posts like yours to help them create more 'meme-ingful' content.
Social Media Mistakes: Ever had "Grammar Nazis" raid any of your social media posts just because you missed a comma? Meme creators are just like that. Instead of correcting you in the comments, they'll take the liberty to make a meme out of your mistake. It's only when you find your friends tagging you in the meme that you discover your mistake. Thus, you vow to triple checking your words before posting them.
Going Live: Celebrities and popular people go live on social media to communicate and get close to their followers. The problem with going live is that you cannot undo anything you've done over the period of your session. If something unplanned happens with you during the live session and that something is found to be funny by the masses, chances are you and others will get to relive that 'unplanned' moment through memes. And it's not just these unplanned moments that can be turned into memes. Sometimes, the entire session is meme worthy, especially if people keep mentioning phone chargers in the comment section.
Memes can be fulfilling but at the same time, they can also be terrifying. The thought that you too could become a victim of this meme culture is something worth the worries. As long as these memes are kept within a certain limit, things are alright. But afterwards, it's just not funny anymore. Celebrities are often found leaving social media just because they cannot tolerate seeing themselves behind offensive memes. As a source of entertainment, memes are great, but at the same time, they have many people thinking twice before going public with their everyday life and thoughts inside their minds.