The Politicization of Memes

By Asha W. '23

On Wednesday, January 20th, history was made. Behind police barriers and military vehicles, the first woman and woman of color was sworn in on the U.S. Capitol Building steps as the 49th Vice President of the United States. Observing the inauguration, a certain Vermont Senator sat crossed-legged and bundled up in a pair of knitted mittens. The photographer Brendan Smialowski snapped a photo of the seemingly unamused Senator, and thus the "Bernie Sanders Meme" was born. Within the hour, Senator Sanders had been carefully edited into "The Last Supper," images of the moon landing, and even a Gangnam Style music video. 

Though it may not seem it, memes can have a substantial impact on politics. Through the ability to spread rapidly, even without strong factual integrity, a political meme can cause a significant amount of damage. Memes have been around since the early 1920s, but political memes like the "Bernie Sanders Meme" have become a growing trend since the 2016 election and have turned into a means of attracting a younger voter demographic. At the same time, they have served as means to undermine various political campaigns. In recent years, memes have been at the forefront of U.S. politics. Notable politicians and even presidents have used social media platforms such as Twitter to promote "fake news" and "Crooked Hillary" political memes tailored for the far-right media. These memes might seem harmless and hilarious to many, but in reality, they are influencing voters. A study done by a group of Harvard researchers found that about 50% of Trump voters believed the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, and about 12% of Obama voters believed Clinton was suffering from a severe illness. Both theories were promoted using political memes and ad campaigns. Political memes can often fall into the gray area between information and propaganda; "they give politics more of a comical spin," said Julia P. '23, one of the leaders of Young Democrats. "They really can alter someone's underlying opinion on politics, the world, and even other countries simply because they don't present the facts or background a normal newspaper article would." Memes can be created and spread by anyone with a wi-fi connection, which means that the risk of misinformation increases dramatically. 

Misleading political memes is not something that solely plagues the right. In 2017 the hashtag #FreeMelania trended on most social media platforms and spread like wildfire. The meme created by left-wing media was intended to compare Donald and Melania Trump's relationship to the relationship he was beginning to develop with the people of the United States. However, the real meaning behind the meme was lost as it circulated, leading people to believe that the former first lady needed urgent help, escalating to the point of survivors of domestic abuse advocates contacting members of the Whitehouse. 

Platforms like Twitter and Facebook allow political memes to spread quickly to people all over the world. As shown by a recent Congresswoman's theory that a secret Jewish space laser started the wildfires plaguing California, the more wild and entertaining the post is, the more it spreads, regardless of factual integrity. But not all memes are as explosive as the "lock her up" memes that flooded the internet in 2016 and space lasers. Some are as harmless as a seventy-nine-year-old Vermont Senator trying to keep warm. So where is the line? When does a political meme become hostile?  

It may depend on who laughs, but "memes are directed towards a specific audience," says Julia. "If you're trying to figure out whether or not a meme or a joke is offense, you have to consider the target audience." Like most types of media, memes are geared towards specific demographics and created to entertain them. Political campaigns have to understand their target audience's point of view and cater to it. Studies have shown that users online are often more likely to share a post that aligns with their own beliefs regardless of factual integrity. As tensions rise and access to technology increases, so will political memes and misinformation.