Bored Panda was curious to find out about the history behind 'Fruitsnacks.' Justin, the creator of the account, told us that, initially, he simply wanted to share content that he found entertaining and hilarious. However, the project quickly grew from something small and private into a real powerhouse of internet entertainment.
"It started as a page just for close friends, and I never expected it to grow into what it is today. I think the account continues to see success because we have stayed incredibly consistent. For years, and still today, we post ten to fifteen times a day and only share content we genuinely think is funny and relatable," Justin shared via email.
"People know they can always open the page and find something that matches their sense of humor. There is also a strong community element. We make an effort to interact with people in the comments and DMs, and we pay close attention to what the audience responds to. Their reactions and feedback directly influence the content we share. That ongoing connection has played a big role in keeping the page relevant and continuing to grow," the creator said.
Justin told Bored Panda that something else that differentiates 'Fruitsnacks' from other meme pages is that they stay true to their values.
"We do not share explicit sponsored content, and we are extremely selective with the brands we choose to partner with. We only work with companies that align with our tone and audience, and we put real time and effort into finding great posts rather than posting mediocre filler. That commitment to quality and authenticity is something our audience has always recognized," he opened up.
Meanwhile, we also wanted to get Justin's perspective on what truly makes for a great meme. In his opinion, a great meme is something that you can talk about offline, too!
"It should feel culturally relevant, trend-setting, and strong enough to spark a conversation. The best memes become part of the culture, not just something people scroll past for a second," he told Bored Panda.
When it comes to virality, a meme's relevance is key, but it's not the only factor to consider. "It [the meme] needs to connect to what is happening in the world at that moment. It also has to be instantly understandable and visually eye-catching, something people can immediately see the value in without overthinking it," the creator of 'Fruitsnacks' said.
"Shareability is a huge factor as well. A meme goes viral when someone feels compelled to send it to a friend the second they see it."
In our experience, luck plays an essential part in content going viral. There are lots of factors you can’t control when you post a meme on social media, and you’re often at the mercy of ever-changing algorithms. You can never be 100% certain what content the internet will vibe with. That being said, you’re not completely powerless as a content creator. Far from it.
One of the main things that you should focus on is relatability. Memes are, fundamentally, ideas, attitudes, behaviors, trends, pictures, cultural quirks, and pieces of content that spread from person to person. But they don’t spread if they’re not relatable on some level.
The thing about memes is that they don’t need to be funny (even though we personally prefer them that way). In this day and age, memes are generally associated with internet humor, funny pics, animal images, etc.
However, relatability and your ability to connect with your audience trump humor. But even with that in mind, a dash of quality comedy can help you spark a stronger reaction and make a complex idea more understandable.
Not to mention that laughter is incredibly good for you. And by making people laugh, you're making the world a slightly better place. For example, UCLA Health notes that laughter improves your immune system, decreases stress, relieves pain, supports your mental health, and also improves your heart health.
The cool thing about the benefits of laughter is that even a single session is enough to have a positive impact. For instance, a single session of laughter can reduce the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in your system by 37%. This then reduces inflammation caused by chronic stress, and decreases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses.
What’s more, laughter also works to reduce anxiety and depression.
You don’t necessarily have to wait to be surprised by something funny. You can intentionally make room in your day for looking at funny content, watching standups, putting on a witty TV show, etc. Or you can go to a laughter yoga session or do laughter exercises. Forcing yourself to laugh brings about the same benefits as ‘natural’ laughter, as Verywell Mind stresses.
As a content creator, you can’t control exactly how people react to the memes you share. However, what you can do is control when you post them. Consistency is absolutely key if you want to build up a solid following and establish a trustworthy reputation.
The specific frequency isn’t as important, so long as you stay consistent, whether that’s posting several times a day, once a day, once a week, etc. This way, your audience knows what to expect from you.
Of course, if you post more frequently, you have a bigger chance of leaving your mark on social media. It’s easier for others to spot your memes among the flood of content that users look through each day. The downside of this is that it becomes way too easy to get into the habit of spamming low-quality content.
Broadly speaking, it’s much better to raise your standards, curate your content, and only serve up the best of the best for your followers.
