Page 25 - Provoke Magazine Vol7

Meme Mentality
-Andrea Pernell
While browsing the web, most likely social media, as most of us do, something recently began to strike me as odd. How realistic are the memes that we laugh at or relate to and then share? We all love a good quote. It feels great to know that others feel the same as we do or think along the same lines as ourselves. This goes back to the need for belonging stated in Maslow’s hi- erarchy. (Look it up if you are unfamiliar. Interesting stuff!) But, how many of these memes reduce what the reality of being human is? My two examples being love and interpersonal understandings or dealings.
As if the burdens of expectation are not stacked against the common couple in the first place, we see this hashtag running rampant, “#RelationshipGoals.” More often than not the photo associated with it is some seemingly glamorous couple, subjective of course, that are dressed to the tens or tatted and in a loving embrace as if saying fuck the world. Whatever matches up to your photo standard of love — heavy emphasis on photo. To be frank, a photo can’t possibly match up to a moment by moment, day by day reality of two people seeking to be or currently in love. It is as if the world wakes up each day and scrolls this time- line of unqualified people shooting out random advice for long-term decisions based on fleeting moments of personal heartbreak or mishandling. I try to tell those that are close to me that forever is a long time and most likely held in memories and not in the palms of our hands. Think about the delicate nature of teenagers and their emotions and how high-strung they can be in their tender misunderstandings of how life operates. Add the equation of a love story in there, and you have people who decide at an early age that they don’t want any parts of love unless it comes in the perfect packed box like an Ipsy subscription. Don’t get me wrong there are several instances that I like a few of the things that are stated on the viral photos, but some make me re- flect on situations I have been in, as well as observed or heard from peers. Is it truly realistic to base what you should do in your relationship off of a picture on social media? Our culture is trendy and follows the leader. In these days and times that even adults are doing things that would typically be looked at childlike things to do, based on what is happening on social media. What I notice is mistrust, the uncompromising nature and the
downright selfishness that the general population has be- gun to display based on these observances and what they think are cultural norms. More detrimental to the youth than the adults, their practices are already set in stone.
Beyond love and its bliss and woes; there is a lack of common courtesy to people who may be suffering some misfortune: a sickness or just a bad day. We have lost the right to be human within the human race. With the on- set of websites such as WorldStar and TMZ, most anyone can have an unfortunate event in public and be exposed within 24 hours. It is probably a new fear as understand- able as the fear of spiders. Or in my case FROGS! How much of life are we still allowing to happen and be com- fortable not sharing or not trying to fit into a box that matches what social media would say is “cool”? I would leap saying that if social media has any input in the judg- ment, you will never get too far.
I know this write up won’t change the mind of any- one, let’s be honest; there are things I share that people can’t understand, but I also appreciate the beauty in be- ing awkward. The realness in someone saying it’s okay if someone still lives at home or a man taking a job making less than his woman. When you get out here, you find out that offline, it’s of much more importance to love while you can and accept with as little judgment as possible. Too easily it all goes away. I love videos; I love photos, I wish we all knew how to use them for the good times and not to suppress our bad ones with strangers or heaven forbid, a loved one’s misfortunes. I could never imagine being the family member posting a relative’s tragic video for a few likes and the chances of going viral. And yes, I am the stranger that would leave my phone in my purse if I needed to buy you something to eat or get you back on your feet after a fall. Figuratively and literally. You can’t write this out, plan it or box it in; this is real life, not a meme.
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