University meme pages
University meme pages are hubs of campus-specific internet memes found primarily on Facebook. [1] Emerging in 2016 and 2017, these pages provide a space for students to connect with each other and mock their university. Facebook meme pages offer useful insight to campus culture to prospective students and can also serve as platforms to inspire action and disseminate information regarding cause-driven events including protests and strikes. Many students consider their school's meme page their primary source of campus news. [2]
Origins[edit]
The first notable university meme page started in 2016 by UC Berkeley junior Chris Twil and gained traction after it put on a candlelight vigil for the slain gorilla Harambe. Though "UC Berkeley Memes for Edgy Teens" has grown to 200,000 members, [3] founder Chris Twil now regrets his decision to start the influential page, calling it a "meme-killing monster" due to the "influx of normies," according to his 2017 essay for The Daily Californian. Writes Twil, " The dankness was completely gone and replaced with wholesome memes and reposts." [4] Nevertheless, imitations of the page popped up for universities around the world.
Role in College Decision-making Process[edit]
Prospective students may browse the meme pages from multiple schools to decide which best matches their personality. Says Julia Spande, "For an age where we won't invest two hours in a movie without checking its Rotten Tomatoes score... prospective students need university meme pages to provide the authenticity other admissions tools lack." [5]
Often characterized by mockery of campus dining, complaints of student workload, stereotypes about different academic departments, and reports about animals (such as squirrels) on campus, a university's meme page offers honest, un-embellished insights that may contrast the more flattering student life information on admissions websites or campus tours. [6]
University meme pages also offer an outlet for the stress and pressure that comes from being immersed in a rigorous academic environment. The self-declared memelord of Columbia University's page "Columbia Buy Sell Memes" says “Well, of course, the more relatable [your meme] is, the more successful it is... the ones that do the best are definitely memes about sadness or stress.” [7]
Role as a Source of Campus News[edit]
Meme pages serve as up-to-date sources on campus politics. The University of Michigan's "UMich Memes for Wolverteens" encouraged students to support the Graduate Employees Organization's 2020 labor strike against unsafe pandemic working conditions. Ohio and Penn State meme pages have commented on sexual abuse within sports leagues. Georgetown's "Memes for Non-Conforming Jesuit Teens" slammed Georgetown's disruption of forests on indigenous land. University of Southern California students flooded Facebook with memes after student and social media influencer Olivia Jade was exposed for involvement in the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal. [8]
Notable examples[edit]
| Meme page name | University name |
|---|---|
| Columbia Buy Sell Memes [9] | Columbia University |
| Dartmouth Memes for Cold AF Teens | Dartmouth University |
| Harvard Memes for Elitist 1% Tweens | Harvard University |
| Princeton Memes for Preppy AF Teens | Princeton University |
| Yale Memes for Special Snowflake Teens | Yale University |
| UChicago Memes for Theoretical Midwest Teens | University of Chicago |
| UC Berkeley Memes for Edgy Teens [10] | UC Berkeley |
| Stanford Memes for Edgy Teens | Stanford University |
| Official Unofficial Penn Squirrel Catching Club | University of Pennsylvania |
| UCLA Memes for Sick AF Tweens | UCLA |
| Brown Dank Stash of Memes for S/NC Teens [11] | Brown University |
| Duke Memes for Gothic Teens | Duke University |
| Make Cornell Meme Again | Cornell University |
| USC Memes for Spoiled Pre-teens | University of Southern California |
| MIT Memes for Intellectual Being and Spicy Memelords | MIT |
| UMich Memes for Wolverteens [12] | University of Michigan |
| UW-Madison Memes for Milk-Chugging Teens [13] | University of Wisconsin-Madison |
References[edit]
- ↑ https://www.insider.com/facebook-meme-pages-have-become-teens-best-source-for-news-2019-8
- ↑ https://www.insider.com/facebook-meme-pages-have-become-teens-best-source-for-news-2019-8
- ↑ https://dcist.com/story/18/12/10/d-c-s-liveliest-university-meme-pages-explained/
- ↑ https://www.dailycal.org/2017/01/19/memes-were-a-mistake/
- ↑ https://www.insider.com/facebook-meme-pages-have-become-teens-best-source-for-news-2019-8
- ↑ https://www.insider.com/facebook-meme-pages-have-become-teens-best-source-for-news-2019-8
- ↑ https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/07/martin-shkreli-teens-and-college-facebook-meme-groups.html
- ↑ https://www.insider.com/facebook-meme-pages-have-become-teens-best-source-for-news-2019-8
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1006815496091821
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/groups/UCBMFET
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/groups/BrownDankStashofMemes
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1812699475720343
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1812699475720343
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