College-going youngsters in the city are dipping their feet in the meme pool, often with hilarious results.
Memes are a cross between a person’s views on a particular topic and a reference to pop culture. A typical meme would be a picture of a popular personality, accompanied by a humorous caption.
Thousands of memes are generated daily on platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter, but only the ‘crème de la crème’ attain legendary status, fit to go ‘viral’ on the internet.
Topics like politics, sports and movies are minefields for meme creators. While memes on harmless topics like sports or movies are well-received, those on politics end up generating some friction.
“Memes have emerged as a powerful medium of expressing one’s views. It takes a lot of creativity to be able to come up with a good meme, and also requires a bit of digital expertise,” said Ram, a city-based youth.
“During election time, memes based on politics are going viral. Some of them are so funny that I send them to almost everyone on my contacts,” Ram added.
“My phone is bombarded daily by dozens of memes. I usually delete most of them, but the ones that make me laugh are immediately circulated among the groups that I am part of,” explains Anupama, a college student.
All in good humour
A good meme is a source of joy for all ages, says Srikanth, a software engineer in the city. “The elders in my family are tech-savvy and keep sending me hilarious memes. Most of these are based on politics, and the memes tend to give away their political preferences. They poke fun at a rival politician, but it is alright as it is all in good humour,” Srikanth adds.
However, the politicians themselves seem to be rubbed the wrong way by some memes, which was seen in the recent case of the arrest of BJP leader Priyanka Sharma for sharing a meme based on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The move was severely criticised on social media, with the Supreme Court granting bail to Ms. Sharma but on the same hand asking her to apologise to Ms. Banerjee.
‘Thin line’
Legal professionals say there is a line that cannot be crossed, even in attempts at humour. “Memes have a powerful impact, due to which they should be regulated. Freedom of expression need not be curbed but it should be controlled by a regulatory body within the group. The Supreme Court has taken the correct decision of asking Priyanka to apologise for the harm and insult done to Ms. Banerjee’s reputation. Morphing images is a violation of privacy of an individual, be it a politician or not. And punishment for such deeds should be exemplary,” said Kuppil Muralidhar, a member of District Legal Service Authority from Visakhapatnam District Court.
Some struck a contrary note. “Memes are meant to be taken in a lighter vein. They are simply a humorous take on a person’s actions or a recent development. There is nothing wrong in sending our views across to others, as it ensures a healthy democracy,” said Akash, a college student who loves making memes.
“Memes make us laugh, especially the satirical ones. They are powerful at the same time. They are slowly becoming a potential source of information about what’s going on. I never knew anything about the racist comments from Senator Anning regarding the Christchurch terrorist attacks until I saw the viral eggboy meme,” said Kevin, a meme enthusiast.
