Memes are often seen as a primary way of joke-telling on the internet. However, not only do they have that function, but they also seem to affect, as well as reflect, our society in various ways.  

So, the question here is how they shape our culture and society. I am going to give you further information right now! 

They are simple 

Well, this is one of the main reasons. They are simple, concise, and explicit when it comes to their way of transmitting the information. Also, this can be brought to a parallel with today's society – we love things that are simple because they do not require much thinking. I mean, who wants to think hard all the time? 

Even though they are simple, they can be deeper, it just depends on the context and the meme you are using. We all have some inside jokes and therefore memes can be subjective as well! That makes them universal for everyone – we can all identify with something we see in that photo.  

They contain relatability and language-crossing 

Whatever language you are speaking, you will most likely understand the meme. Why? Well, it's a photo, therefore it makes it easier to be recognized and analyzed than a language you have never heard of before.  

We all found ourselves in a situation like this – tagging our friends to see the meme. Let's be real – Instagram is the best and the most popular social media in the world. There are many reasons to tell why but that's not the topic for today. Whenever we see a funny, relatable post we either send it to someone or tag them in the comments section. If you scroll a bit, or just see the number of comments, you will be able to tell that there is a huge amount of people to whom the meme is relatable as well!  

If you see a meme where you recognize our organization, feel free to tag us! 

They are a perfect way to show your sense of humor 

If you fall in love, you will probably want someone with a similar sense of humor. Well, memes are the best way to see that!  

My friends got tired of me telling them that I fell in love with someone because they know the reason – we love the same memes. Yes, it's true! It may sound weird but you will find yourself in that situation too! (Just don't forget to fill me in with the details, by the way) 

Memes can shape culture in a bad way 

We have spoken about the good effects of memes and how they positively shape our culture, but, sadly, there is the opposite side of that too!  

We live in an era where cyberbullying the most common cause of suicides, arguments, depression, and a decrease in self-confidence. Believe it or not, people use memes for that too! You can read more about cyberbullying in one of our texts!

 I have seen my „friends“ making memes of the teachers and other students (in a bad way, of course) and it was not nice at all. Even though the teacher didn't seem to know, I doubt it! However, the students were horrified – they felt embarrassed, lonely, heartbroken, sad, depressed, etc. It went to the point of going to another school. 

You can see in this photo that this is a bad meme. Not only does it represent the dark humor itself, but it is also harmful to someone that has been having problems with self-harm. I agree with Cynthia Rylant who once said:  

„But those with the evil heart seem to have a talent for destroying anything beautiful which is about to bloom“. 

After a careful read of this text, you can tell someone why memes are good and why they are bad. 

 Memes are popular, relatable, interesting, and easy to make – but that mustn't make them the way of destroying someone's life. You never know what somebody's going through. You have no idea about the lives of your closest friends – we all have something we keep for ourselves. So, do not make inappropriate jokes. Do not send offensive memes. Try to see what their sense of humor is and send them similar things.

We all have feelings and something going on with our lives so let's be nice to each other and not make them any more difficult. 

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#Move on! 

*An article was prepared and written by Balša Kićović, Textual Content Creator.