Meme found from internet
Centered around the Covid-19 pandemic at the start of the decade, this meme brought traction to many who had a strong resentment towards the governments reaction. With the implementations of lockdowns and social isolation as well as mask mandates, some had felt like they were living under tyranny, even if it was for their safety.
About a year after the pandemic had started, a new vaccine was developed to prevent the ongoing spread of the disease. This was met with skepticism for several reasons. Some would say that the vaccines were experimental, having links with heart and chest complications. Others point out that the fact that it was created and distributed by Pfizer, a company with some speculation in their involvement with the U.S. government in the past, gives others a sense of distrust. More radical skeptics would have the belief that the vaccines came with a microchips which is simply untrue.
Nonetheless, this meme enables the notion that the vaccine that’s meant to combat the ongoing pandemic is something curated for government control. This effectively moves the goalpost of Covid-19’s resolution as the lack of people taking vaccines makes the virus spread more, leading to more cases and with that more hospitalizations and deaths.
Alternative healthy meme
This meme that I created is something that points out the negative of the harmful meme with a pro vaccine rhetoric. It takes the shape of Gru describing his plan to slow down the spread of the lingering Covid-19 virus. He seems optimistic and very sure of himself at first, but when he notices how someone (or in this case people) tamper with his plan by refusing to take the vaccine, he shows discontentment with what actually occurred.
While it’s a dated meme format, it’s on par with the harmful meme, using meme templates from the late 2010s. In terms of how it’s going to receive more or less traction online, I’m inclined to believe it won’t be as viral, if not then the same. This is because these types of memes aren’t as relevant on social media sites geared towards a younger audience like TikTok and Instagram. They’re more likely to be found reposted on Facebook, which is viewed more by older audiences who don’t have as much of a social media presence.
1 Response
I liked the change in this meme because it takes out the misinformation and still has a comical tone. The new meme is still in a popular template, so it could go viral because of that.