What are memes?

One of the first things anyone with access to the internet discover on their journey of surfing the web are these funny pictures with subtitles on them. What are these hilarious pictures called? These memes have been on the internet for what seems as  long as our grandparents have been around!

These memes are usually pictures or videos with funny context and posted online to make others laugh and can be about pretty much anything you can think of. But the question is, are these memes considered art? Do these memes that people use to express their selves fall under art?

In the article, The Rise of Memes as an Art Form by Alice Oh, Kash Jordan who is a LA based rapper has curated two exhibitions featuring memes. “Kash considers memes to be a form of pop art and draws a parallel to Andy Warhol’s work, which often involved appropriating images from pop culture, not unlike the way memes are created today.” Memes often use a lot of modern pop culture to convey the message of the picture.

Memes are definitely art.

The definition of art is different for everyone and that’s why memes being art is such a debated topic. For me, art is a way to express yourself or an idea through various creative activities or medias. Memes are a part of internet culture where anyone with internet access can convey an idea just by simply putting a funny picture with some subtitle. Although memes are being criticized for being called art in a few years I’m sure it would be more widely accepted for art.

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