The Impact of Memes on Humanity
In an interview with An Xiao Mina for my J375 course, she broke down her meme studies as a digital media scholar. She explained how memes are more than just a picture with text and a good laugh. Mina mentioned memes can also be in the form of a TikTok, YouTube videos, or a plain text post.
Specifically, she described thinking of memes like paintings, film, or any other type of media. Mina said, “They reflect and amplify all aspects of humanity, the worst in us and the best in us.”
Mina also explained how memes have an ingroup affect, she described that filter bubbles are like being stuck in a bubble with people we agree with. In regards to filter bubbles, she mentioned that it’s neither good nor bad but, it’s a good way to start conversations with those close to us and be mindful of our media consumption.
With everything she explained and mentioned, a lot of the memes from the Black Lives Matter movement came to mind. Many of those memes break down how absurd the counter All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter movements are.
This is a meme I found as a repost from one of the local influencers I follow on instagram:
Sometimes the silly memes have a serious message. “Jokes contain kernels of truth,” said Mina.
Tags: Meedan, an xiao mina
