At this point in time, you’re probably used to coming across memes every time you open up social media. You might have several sitting in your inbox that your best friends sent, or you might see dozens about current events as you scroll through your feed. I mean, I must have seen at least 50 memes about the CEO who was caught cheating at a Coldplay concert not even 24 hours after it happened.
But have you ever stopped to wonder what exactly a meme is or where the heck they came from? Well, according to Alexis Benveniste at the New York Times, this phenomenon didn’t begin with the internet. She explains that even the word “meme” has been included in the New York Times Crossword dozens of times since the 1940s.
Kirby Conrad, a professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College, explained the concept of a meme as “a self-replicating chunk of information,” such as an inside joke that’s been bouncing around your friend group for years or a jingle that’s been stuck in your head for decades.
“That chunk of information, the joke or the jingle, self-replicates because we humans like to share and repeat stuff,” Conrad told the New York Times. “When we repeat the joke, or sing the jingle, that’s an instance of the meme reproducing itself.” Nowadays, however, we tend to see memes multiply at exponential rates as they spread like wildfire online.
It’s sort of beautiful how today’s memes can be shared worldwide in a matter of minutes. What once would have been only local news or spread via word of mouth can go viral overnight. And now, we all know about the teen who was denied entry into the United States for having a meme of JD Vance on his phone, which, of course, inspired hundreds of other memes to be created.
However, like many words, Benveniste notes that the definition of the word meme has transformed over time. But it’s hard to encapsulate all that they are, as they’re much more than just silly images floating around making viewers giggle. They can also be powerful tools in political discussions and protests for human rights. Meanwhile, some say that memes have been extremely beneficial for their mental health, and therapists are even seeing their patients utilize them.
Duygu Balan, LPCC, wrote a piece for Psychology Today breaking down some of the pros and cons of mental health memes. First, the therapist notes that these silly images can help us feel less alone when we bond over shared experiences. They can also help us reframe our thoughts and break stigmas surrounding mental health issues. Plus, they can allow us to build a sense of community amongst those who enjoy similar memes.
On the other hand, though, we must be careful that we don’t use mental health memes to trivialize serious conditions. We can also accidentally retraumatize others or ourselves when sharing triggering memes. And viewing your condition through a humorous lens might be tempting, but it can encourage us to avoid issues that we shouldn’t shy away from. Plus, if we’re constantly exposed to jokes about serious topics like mental health issues, we might become desensitized to the actual problems.
