Distances are measured in bananas, apologies expressed in potatoes, and the grammar of the English language is at once murdered and upheld with utmost sincerity. This is not some strange alternate dimension out of the latest sci-fi young adult novel, but the fascinating global culture that has become part of the fabric of the Internet.
In a space where national, linguistic, religious and cultural barriers are diluted, the interactions between netizens have taken on a whole new dimension. The comments section of popular sites like 9Gag are all but indecipherable to the uninitiated, drawing from a vast treasure trove of popular culture ranging from Star Wars to Dragonball Z. Adding to the confusion (or fun, depending on how you see it) are the memes. Usually, a picture of an individual or thing that has become the symbolic representation of an expression, they are hilarious when used in the right context. However, a meme by definition can be any activity, concept or expression that achieves widespread online popularity.
“The word meme was coined by Richard Dawkins to define a repeating activity, and now popular internet posts use the term. I think this culture is characteristic to our generation, since most users of such websites are in their twenties, you see a lack of seriousness and a lot of pop culture references. Even in Kerala we have throwbacks to old Malayalam films which are posted on Facebook comment threads and more recently we have the ‘pling’ meme gaining traction in the State,” says Vinay Menon, a stand-up comedian.
The trend started with rage comics, featuring stick like figures with a standard set of expressions, the most famous being the ubiquitous troll face. Soon, we were bombarded with images of real people who unwittingly became online sensations when funny photographs of them became associated with events or expressions. (The Bad Luck Brian meme depicts a yearbook photograph in which the subject appeared anything but his fetching best, and invariably pops up on posts where bad luck is involved). For some unknown reason, posts that feature interesting or unusual objects often have a banana next to them for scale, and a particularly long post (a strict no-no on the internet) usually includes a depiction of a potato at the end by means of apology.
“Memes are huge right now, and the number of people who make meme references is too damn high,” says Devika Menon, a student of Sacred Heart College, Thevara, herself making a reference to the phrase by New York political activist Jimmy McMillan, whose Rent Is Too Damn High party became the basis for the popular meme. “That and the one with the awkward seal always crack me up,” she adds.
Anything and everything is now potential meme material. And India has not lagged behind either, with Alia Bhatt briefly gaining massive popularity following her ill-fated appearance on Karan Johar’s talk show leading to her becoming a ‘dumb belle’ meme. This fact was later hilariously exploited by her and popular comedy artists AIB in their sketch starring Alia herself.
All this sound a bit complicated? Fear not, the Internet has you covered. Whenever everyone in a particular forum or the comments of a post is having a laugh at something that you do not get, a scroll through the comments usually has someone explain the joke before ‘flying away’. (If you decide to drop these helpful spirits a word of thanks, make sure to refer to them as ‘captain’). And if all else fails, there are sites dedicated to the origin and meaning of memes (knowyourmeme.com is a good place to start, *flies away*).
It’s been only a few short years since Internet access became so widely available, and the culture it has spawned has already become part of daily life for most. Pop culture websites feature arguments on iconic movie weapons and spacecraft, people create lists detailing why Batman is cooler than Superman and bloody wars break out on YouTube’s comment section just for culture’s sake, because apparently that’s what YouTube comments are for. “These sites are what TV used to be and don’t even require as much investment as YouTube, as you just need to keep scrolling,” says Vinay.
Some are wary of this strange, quirky, irreverent virtual world, but in truth it is a welcoming enough place that sometimes throws up things that make you glad to be a part of it .
A couple of simple guidelines though: nothing is off limits, everything is funny to someone. And a ridiculously long post will usually have people leaving tl;dr (too long; didn’t read) in the comments. Which, in hindsight, is probably what will happen to this particular article.
Oh well, here, have some potatoes.
