The internet has become the prominent medium for communicating information and expressing ideas. A common way for users to convey feelings and thoughts is through memes, which are photos with captions and humorous overtones that express a certain point.
Memes often spark feelings of happiness due to their jocular nature. However, the impact of memes can become much more consequential than just everyday laughs when they are commenting on serious issues. Though when compared to professionally revised research papers and journalistic articles, memes are much more easily produced and digested by the masses due to their straightforward formatting and simplistic wording. According to a study conducted by Professor Heidi Huntington of Colorado State University, the simultaneous appropriation and subversiveness of memes make them a dominant force in influencing public opinion.
For instance, if a meme combines a gif of a cartoon villain invading an animated city with the caption “least devastating day in Darfur, Sudan” , but someone who did not know about the war in Sudan stumbles across the meme, they might be inclined to find out the context behind the creation of the meme and thus become more informed on global issues like the ones mentioned in the meme.
However, memes are also used to undermine serious issues rather than raise awareness on them. When the graphic details of convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein’s underage sex-trafficking ring involving many high-profile individuals were exposed on Jan. 30 under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, thousands of viral memes making light of these crimes appeared across the internet. Some jokingly suggested that they would eagerly participate in the depraved sexual crimes if they were a high-profile public figure, and that anyone who thought otherwise were just “jealous” they were not invited.
Typically, one will experience a negative emotional response upon hearing and seeing the extreme activities documented in the files. However, as noted in a study by University of Florida professor Barbara Sanchez, repeated exposure to memes of tragic scenarios placed in humorous contexts can reduce emotional responses such as empathy, just like how repeated exposure to violent content on the internet can lead to eventual apathy. In the context of the Epstein Files, this sort of apathy generated by the recently popular viral memes can reduce the situation to just silly background noise instead of a case of extensive human rights violations and severe abuse of power. If this sort of apathy generated by memes continues on with one breaking news and the after, it will demotivate others to take action for change and distinguish important issues with real impacts compared to entertainment.
This apathy can be especially dangerous as memes have also been intentionally utilized by institutions to influence public opinion. For instance, a research paper published in 2022 by research scientist Yelena Mejova and others detailed how Russian corporations collaborated with the Russian military to spread memes that contained misinformation on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In response, official social media accounts of the Ukraine government posted memes that debunked the situation and garnered widespread sympathy. With memes, warfare is not just conducted through soldiers and weapons, but through generating likes and provoking arguments on social media. Like the economic resources collected from winning a war, public opinion becomes a useful tool for politicians to gain power, which is an important aspect to be aware of especially in democratic institutions such as America.
Ultimately, it is important to be mindful of the type of media one consumes, as they are not just sources of entertainment, but soldiers that fight to influence cultural tides and political landscapes.
