If you are part of any social networking site, you have probably seen them. Whether or not they were on sites like Reddit, Tumblr, 9gag or Facebook, you have probably chuckled or snickered at a couple of these internet sensations called memes.
Memes are pictures that can be used to reference a certain type of concept, emotion, fad or situation. Many times these memes are either created by a single individual as a drawing or photograph. Other times, memes are a basic picture reused and re-edited with different texts and slogans. However, these internet fads aren’t really artwork and are just a trend in the social networking world.
In my opinion, the word “art” shouldn’t be thrown around so easily. Although defined as the expression of human creative skill and imagination, art is profound. It is timeless, allowing people to connect with works of art even decades after the respective time period. On the other hand, memes are plainly fun to come by, but they don’t carry any emotional significance. For example, many can possibly relate to the Forever Alone or the Socially Awkward Penguin memes. However, I doubt that teenagers decades later will be able to connect to memes on a deeper level.
Memes reproduced over and over don’t necessarily hold any original value. Using the same picture repetitively and slapping on captions does not translate into art. With a few simple clicks of the mouse, internet-users can easily copy and paste a meme into a photo-editing program and recreate their own witty slogan.
Just because they are in forms of pictures or drawings, memes cannot be labeled as art. I’m not trying to say that art is limited to only those with talents of Picasso or Van Gogh. What I am saying is that artists like Picasso and Van Gogh had the creativity to craft their own masterpieces. It was with their own ability that they were able to wow and induce emotions in people centuries after them whereas memes pertain to the moment or a situation in current events.
There is a difference between true art and a silly picture of a grumpy cat circling multiple social networking sites. Although the troll face, amongst other memes, are admittedly funny and provide great entertainment, they are only a cultural internet trend.