Quotation (with page number or parag number or time stamp if video/audio)

“Most successful memes are not created for the purpose of making money. Most memes are created for fun, to connect with a friend, or to express some kind of personally relevant statement, opinion, or joke.” Page 423, Paragraph 2.

Comment (250-500 words)

I chose this quote to comment on because it’s a good summary of the point of memes in general. It’s true that most memes are just created for entertainment purposes, not monetary. At least, that’s how it started when social media first came about. Nowadays, memes are still used for entertainment purposes, but from my point of view, they are now equally used for monetary purposes. Many brands have expanded to using social media as a form of marketing, and memes are one of their forms of advertising on social media. Even though it’s a cash grab, I will admit that these memes can still be funny if they go along with trends in a specific way. In my mind, it’s similar to when parents or older people try to use social media. That sounds very judgy, but I just mean in the way that it can be cringey when they try to partake in trends on social media. I think it goes well when a brand plays into the trend and references other pop culture things, but not too much. A really good example of a brand on social media is the Duolingo (language learning app) account on TikTok. The account is run by a gen-zer, so they are up to date with the trends and humor of TikTok. It’s also well done because they participate in trends but never try to sell you on their product. Even though they aren’t outright telling the viewer to download the app, seeing their videos sometimes makes me want to download it anyway.

Question

Do you think memes are still mostly for entertainment purposes, or are they used too much for monetary purposes?