What someone should’ve told the bat in Wuhan.
Dear Julia, I read your last post about how social media during a crisis like COVID-19 can add to people’s anxiety. But what about memes? I feel like they’re the only things getting me through quarantine, but I feel kind of guilty being on social media so much if it’s just hurting my mental health. - SpreadMemesNotGerms04
Dear SpreadMemesNotGerms04,
Great question! Although there is research behind staying off of social media at this time to not overload your brain with conflicting news reports, it doesn’t take an expert to know that people get joy out of looking at funny memes and videos on the Internet. Even during this time of social distancing, memes have allowed us to stay connected to our friends and forget about the crisis going on for a few seconds, as we laugh over a video of a sockpuppet eating cars. As journalist Judy Holland put it, “social media is turning social distancing into just physical distancing.”
There is some actual science behind why we like memes, and why there are so many of them right now. Memes have been studied starting from 1976, when evolutionary biologists coined the term “meme” as a vehicle for cultural information that is transmitted between people, similar to genes. And the Internet has continued to increase the speed at which this information is passed, so that now when I send memes to my friends I often get hit with “I’ve seen that already haha” (and you know they’re not actually ‘haha’-ing a second time. Crushing). Researchers at the University of Minnesota have come up with three systematic qualities of a meme that goes (and I hate to say this) viral. The first is memes that are genuinely useful to a human host (again, human host, so sorry). The next is memes that are easily imitated by human brains, and the last is that they answer questions that our brains find of interest.
In my own enjoyable research through the coronavirus memes of the Internet, I have identified five main genres of coronavirus memes, and have set out to identify why these different types of memes have gained popularity, who they’re targeting, and how they may be helping, or hurting, our mental health during this time.
“Zooming in to Work”
Whether you’re zooming in to a conference meeting or a lecture, people all over the world are being asked to complete their usual workload in a completely different environment, without the same resources or normalcy of a routine. Memes have been circulating that depict people commuting to work via shower rod and frames of people and/or animals working or Zooming from home. This type of corona-meme is the epitome of “relatable.” The feeling of getting and understanding a meme is like being a part of a social structure enforced by that meme. It creates “an indirect buffer” through which people can convey the struggle and stress of working from home to others, normalizing the new world of Zoom and building a network of support between strangers on the Internet.
“Wash Your Hands and Stay Inside”
Lots of memes right now are advising people on safety measures to take during this pandemic, and they do it in a much more lighthearted and memorable way than a news reporter. There’s an especially large trend of memes with different songs other than the typical “Happy Birthday” to wash your hands to, including the quadratic formula. There are also memes glorifying the use of hand sanitizer. These memes act as a sort of propaganda and have the power to influence the behavior of the recipient, and in this case they could be improving the hygiene of viewers (I felt much more thorough when washing my hands to Britney Spears’s “Toxic”).
In this category, there are also more targeted memes that look down on people who aren’t hunkering down and staying inside. According to Rosanna Guadagno, a researcher at Stanford University, these more negative memes could be resonating with people because “if you think [the meme’s message] reflects poorly on the people who engage in that behavior, you’ll choose not to engage in that behavior.” These memes could be leading to self-reflection, and give an opportunity to those who just booked flights to Europe to maybe rethink their decisions. But also, with any type of content that is pushing a certain viewpoint, it’s important to think about who created this message and what they’re trying to convey, to be able to discern which pieces of information should influence how we act.
“Adapt and Overcome”
I have been astounded by the creativity (and probably boredom) of people who have adapted to the concept of social distancing so early into this quarantine. Balconies of apartment buildings have become concert venues, workout classes, and somehow a place to run a marathon. I’ve come across a DIY treadmill and a platform called “Ok Zoomer,” a dating service for college students that operates through Zoom. This phenomenon follows all three components of a “viral” meme: they’re genuinely useful by providing us with activities to do while we’re all stuck inside and ways to interact with others while still social distancing, they are simple activities that are easily imitated and understood (well, except for the marathon), and they answer the question of what the (insert word of choice here) are we supposed to do while we’re isolated. These are the kind of memes that make us remember why social media could boost morale during this time, as opposed to the news-overload.
“2020 Sucks”
The memes I’ve talked about so far at least look on the bright side a little. But of course are memes that tell it like it is: this sucks and we don’t know when it’s going to get better. Although a lot of these memes might make us laugh, some of them might be hurting us more than helping us. As John Suler, a professor of psychology at Rider University, states, “memes often carry an idea to an extreme…which makes them feel even more powerful as a form of social influence.” Making claims about the year as a whole rather than just coronavirus is an exaggeration that, from what we know about how fast memes travel and how great of an influence they have, can affect people’s perception of this pandemic and might lead to a widespread belief that things are worse or will last longer than they actually will.
Something important to keep in mind is that memes can easily spread misinformation, as they tend to stick in our heads longer than normal news not accompanied by a funny picture. Just like as you’re combing through news to identify what’s “fake,” make sure you’re able to separate the humor of these memes from the message they’re actually getting across, as it is probably an exaggeration of the real situation.
“Penguins”
I couldn’t end on “2020 sucks.”
There have been some not directly virus related memes and videos, and one of the most popular has been the penguins who got to explore an aquarium in Chicago because it was emptied out of patrons. Why has this event exploded over social media when we have coronavirus to worry about? Studies have shown that videos that lead to a stronger emotional response increased the intent people have to share it with others. So, the answer is most likely because we have coronavirus to worry about, and penguins figuring out how to navigate down a flight of stairs gives us a joy and innocence that we’re not finding in other aspects of life right now. Many other zoos are also doing live streams of their animals including the Smithsonian National Zoo’s Panda Cam and Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter Cam, which I did not know I needed in my life until now.
Overall, memes are doing a lot of great things for us. But like all of our news intake, we need to be conscious of what they’re trying to say to not get caught up in exaggerations.
And for those of you that are the ones making memes and trying to go viral, just stick to doing it on the Internet.
Always yours,
Julia
Advice from a Gen Z Who's Just Trying Her Best 
