THE EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON SOCIAL MEDIA
The current pandemic, or let’s name it COVID-19, and the measures taken to address it, on a global scale, are unprecedented. Times of crisis call for creative solutions, and these are not reduced to the work of scientists or politicians. In everyday life, both in online and offline spaces, people use their creativity to make sense of the current situation, to cope with it, and to learn its lessons.
I personally relate to this as I am creating memes and sharing memes myself. Particularly in South Africa, Memes have carried us all through the lows of being cooped up inside, and the seeming apocalyptic world doesn’t seem so bad anymore.
Through memes and access to various social media channels, we have had the platform to be immensely creative, changing the narrative in bringing joy and laughter into the world instead of being consumed by COVID-19.
Social media is a privileged space for mundane and participative creativity through the production and sharing of COVID-19 memes. The pandemic poses a serious challenge for individuals and societies worldwide, beyond the number of deaths and the impact on jobs and the economy, the measures imposed to stop the spread of the virus are difficult to cope with on a personal level.
Being in lockdown or imposed social distancing disturbs daily life and calls for new and creative ways to make sense of the situation and adapt to it. In this context, social media becomes instrumental for connecting with others, sharing one’s experience, and generating new ways of understanding the experience of others.
It is undeniable that an increased number of people choose to express themselves creatively online. On the one hand, social media spaces offer new opportunities for collaboration, encountering different views, learning from others, and participating in a more open and democratic manner.
On the other hand, there are still important barriers to a creative participation in online space, most of all the tendency to look for similarity rather than difference and to build cohesive communities based on identity rather than debate. This tends to happen also in offline spaces, certainly, but social media chats, threads, and groups offer the right affordances for a quick and continuous exchange of messages and the uncritical circulation of “fake news.”
IT’S BEEN A DECADE!
“In the space of a decade, internet memes have gone from quirky, subcultural oddities to being everywhere. From Comedy Central’s television program Tosh.0 to the endless charts of Buzzfeed, an entire media infrastructure has developed to report on, disseminate, and dissect the newest piece of digital culture to emerge, whether that is weekly, daily, or hourly.
WHAT IT REALLY MEANS?
Every meme is unique in one way or another, a product of the constant mixing and remixing of elements Wiggins and Bowers (2015) talked about. Even when they are reposting, memes can receive a different title or, lead to new meanings, ideas, and discussions.
In conclusion, the creation and circulation of memes might seem like a minor pastime, but, under conditions of lockdown and social isolation, it might be a key component in what makes the difference between psychological and social adjustment. The creativity concerning memes and social media brings meaning, well-being, and good mental health.
About the Author
I am a 28-year-old Photographer and multi-skilled creative from Cape Town, South Africa. Having had the immense privilege of working with major brands such as Johnnie Walker, Elle Magazine, and Ultra Music Festival, creating content within a melting pot of cultures has been a passion of mine.
This creative journey has allowed me to set a platform for my future career endeavors, effectively building, growing, and changing with the fast-paced digital world.