![]() ![]() Among the participants who were shown memes, some had captions related to COVID, while others saw the same image but with a different caption unrelated to the pandemic. The other half were shown something other than memes. The researchers collected popular memes from websites like “ IMGflip” and “IMgur,” but only showed them to half of the participants. Myrick and a team of researchers surveyed 748 people to determine how viewing memes on social media influenced emotions, anxiety, and the manner in which they handled COVID-related stressors. Mom, please stop: Why sharing too much about kids on social is a bad thing ![]() "We often casually blame social media for making us feel bad or stressing us out," says the study's lead author, Jessica Gall Myrick, a professor at Pennsylvania State University, "but if you use it in a more purposeful way, you can actually find ways to cope with the things that are worrying you." Indeed, a recent study published Monday in the American Psychological Association journal Psychology of Popular Media found that something as simple as viewing a few memes can be helpful in fostering positive emotions, mitigating stress and increasing one’s confidence in dealing with challenges like those found throughout the pandemic. It relieves tension, improves one's immune system, and is a proven antidote to depression.Īnd while a virus that's taken the lives of more than 700,000 American lives is no laughing matter, experts say humor can be a powerful coping mechanism during such challenging times. According to federal prison records, he’s currently serving his time at the Fort Worth Federal Medical Center in Texas.Watch Video: Online meme groups sweeping college campuses However, the series took a dark turn when Joe’s bizarre and deep-seated antipathy towards Baskin evolved into something nefarious: he was sentenced to 22 years in prison early this year for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against her. Of course, the series became an instant lightning rod for memes. ![]() She repeatedly denied the rumors and spoke out against the portrayal of events. Joe’s flashy fashion sense, outrageous antics, and distinctive mannerisms made him an Internet sensation, while his seeming nemesis, animal sanctuary owner Carole Baskin, became the target of conspiracy theories and villain jokes - especially when viewers discovered that her former husband mysteriously went missing. It also solidified a “Karen” as synonymous with an entitled woman who stops at nothing, especially racist acts, to get what she wants.ĭuring the initial weeks of social distancing orders in the United States, Netflix debuted Tiger King, a docuseries about eccentric and shady exotic animal enthusiasts, starring a big cat owner with an even bigger personality named Joseph “Joe Exotic” Allen Maldonado-Passage. The case incited national outrage, leading to Cooper eventually losing her job (her company issued a statement about the incident, saying that they “do not tolerate racism of any kind”) during the same time that George Floyd’s death spurred a reckoning for racial justice worldwide. While the meme picked up traction with viral instances of specific white women defying COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, the most glaring example of this in 2020 (and a major reason for how Karen went viral this year, bringing a global dialogue about privilege to the forefront) was the case of Amy Cooper, a white woman who called the cops on a Black man who was bird-watching in Central Park. It became Internet shorthand this year for the menacing racism and blatant abuse of privilege exhibited by white women. The term “Karen” has been bandied about for a couple years as the punchline of jokes about the privilege of suburban white women of a certain age, but it’s definitely no laughing matter. ![]()
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