Meme 101: Text Memes

Memes are more than just images. They can encompass a variety of formats and mediums. Text-based memes may include visual components but they primarily rely on the usage of keywords to convey their content. The pictures that are associated with each example of a text-based meme might be totally different, however, the core slang, catchphrase, or word order will be uniform. Here are a few examples:

We Have Food at Home

We Have Food at Home is a series of jokes and mock conversations about the commonly shared experience of asking one’s parents for take out and being told “there’s food at home.” In April 2019, humorous images highlighting low desirability of food at home gained popularity online, later expanding into a larger things I don’t like trope.

POV

POV Memes or POV Roleplay refers to a series of memes that provide the viewer with an unusual perspective of a certain object during a specific interaction involving that object. Originating from TikTok and categorized under the hashtag #POV on the platform, the memes usually include “POV: You’re [object in a situation]” description accompanied by a humorous video or an illustration.

How I Sleep

How I Sleep refers to a series of memes which humorously describe a person’s reaction to certain knowledge, usually either by depicting someone sleeping peacefully or, on the contrary, being unable to sleep. The snowclone is usually worded as How I Sleep Knowing or How I Sleep at Night Knowing and shares certain similarities with Who Asked / Nobody Asked meme.

In conclusion, text-based memes are very powerful because they stimulate many remixes. Users can easily join a trend wave of many other peers using the same text-based meme. They can substitute their unique input that highlights their personal tastes. Brands should be aware of how to tap into and generate these types of memes. Brands that deal with intellectual property that have memorable lines should also be highly aware of how to repurpose them into this format.