This morning, one of my political friends shared a “meme” in a political group, and asked for comments about its validity, lack thereof, and so forth. It was an easy dissection, and far less interesting than the notion that combining a phrase, sentence or paragraph with a photo or graphic is, nowadays, a far more effective way to spread an idea than merely assembling a strong quote.

Used to be, people would share quotes by famous figures of history if those figures had already aptly answered a question or rebutted an argument. While that still happens, I don’t see quite so much of that any more. It’s far more common to see what is commonly (and incorrectly – more on that in a moment) called a “meme,” i.e. a graphic that combines image and text.

There’s an interesting trap here. The “meme” (lets stick to this nomenclature for now) seems to, at times, pack more punch than a block of text does. Whether this is because it elicits a multi-sensory response, it is more “stimulating” than dry prose, or because we might have a subconscious tendency to think that, since someone took the time to cobble it together, there must be some validity to the idea, is hard to say. The act of creating a meme confers no additional validity to the point being made, but, I believe that many do see “memes” as a stronger form of communication than words alone, and I see, far more often, people sharing a “meme” than sharing a quote to express a point.

People also share “memes” they find ridiculous, either with a short comment or embedded in larger, mocking “memes,” to point out the flawed thinking of their ideological foes. Thus, “memes” spawn discussions – of validity, of underlying themes, of logical cogency, of mind-sets and world-views, and the like.

The term “memesplaining” came unbidden to my forebrain as I pondered this latest meme-discussion. Curious, I Googled it to see if it was in the vernacular. It is, but perhaps not in the fashion you might think. It is presented in a fashion akin to mansplaining in that memesplaining is the act of explaining that such images are not actually memes. Indeed, a meme is not simply something one creates. It is “an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.” At least, according to Hoyle. In this, I am reminded of those well-intentioned but cloistered people who think they can restore the original meaning of the word “liberal” (i.e. to its “classical liberal” definition from two centuries ago). Yes, you can make a logical case, but few will care.

However, “meme,” colloquially, means just what I mentioned earlier: a graphic that combines image and text, intended to be shared across social media to convey a particular point, idea or belief. In acknowledgment, I suggest we use the term “memesplaining” not to tell people that these are not real memes, but rather as shorthand for opining on, either supportively or (more often) in deconstruction, what we now call a “meme.”

So, when you see a friend post some absurdity that someone else took the time to immortalize into a jpeg, “memesplain” it to them. I’m sure they’ll love you for it…

• About the Author

About Peter Venetoklis

I am twice-retired, a former rocket engineer and a former small business owner. At the very least, it makes for interesting party conversation. I'm also a life-long libertarian, I engage in an expanse of entertainments, and I squabble for sport.

Nowadays, I spend a good bit of my time arguing politics and editing this website.

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