How are people coping with social distancing? Recently, I’ve seen a lot of jokes about quarantine in a Facebook group called “Zoom Memes for Self-Quaranteens,” which I recently joined. Below are some examples:
There is plenty of research on how dark humor can help people cope by releasing pent-up emotions and reducing anxiety. In this situation of intense separation, shared jokes can also provide a sense of connection and alleviate loneliness. The memes above (and many others on the page) are also self-deprecating. They poke fun at the creator’s own lack of motivation and schedule while inviting viewers to do the same to themselves. Though masked by humor, they show people’s fears and offer reassurance that others are going through the same struggles.
I’ve also seen some more politically-focused memes. The ones below are from the page “Duke Memes for Gothicc Teens“:
There are plenty of examples of memes having strong political effects, especially during significant events such as the last US presidential election. In this case, the memes are being used to point out struggles of particular groups in a way that invites the viewer to empathize and offer support.
Throughout spring break, I developed a habit of checking the Duke memes page after every major update emailed by the school administration. It offered student opinions, opportunities to join in mutual community aid (weeks before the university), and reassuring humor. If you don’t like memes, I still recommend finding a source of humor to hopefully provide some connection and reassurance.
