Living within a necessary online bubble means that memes represent not just passing jokes or fads, but an experience of reality itself: They are the conveyances of everything from social distancing woes to the perils of online education to breakout TV shows that have kept us distracted during these complicated times. The concept of “a meme” has come to feel increasingly obsolete as the internet becomes the main way through which many connect. Which means memes, the default mode of communication online for many, now stand in for a huge range of quarantine moods, social connections, and concerns beyond just making us laugh.Īs people adjust to the new lifestyles mandated by the spread of the coronavirus, memes about the pandemic itself have largely faded into the background.
As many people transfer much of their lives indoors for the foreseeable future, it’s put even more pressure than usual on internet culture to provide entertainment and support.
