First Insight - Memes

Accessibility to mental health awareness through silly pictures on the internet

Based on something posted by someone I’ve known online for many years (we even met in person once!), memes have been on my mind in a different way lately. Specifically memes about mental health stuff. They are such an interesting way to normalize and unite people about things that have long been experienced largely in a vacuum or only through clinical settings. I can’t even count how many times I’ve felt seen or thought “it me” (which are unifying memes in and of themselves) because of them. It’s also endlessly fascinating to see how there’s always at least one person who sees themselves reflected back when they didn’t expect it when they’re discussed in the comments. It’s led me to theorize that a good portion of the struggles of any sort of mental divergence are largely based in the isolationism that’s enforced simply because of long-standing taboos that essentially no one agrees with anymore since many of us are grappling with something that’s deemed “wrong” on some level due to outdated norms. There’s total value in getting deep on memes of this nature because they reflect that we really aren’t as alone as we’ve felt for however long. I can’t help but think that the more that becomes the prevalent thinking, the better things may get for everyone. That’s more hopeful than I usually am about the internet, but few things make me happier than seeing mental health discussed openly and frankly among the people who live within the often lonely worlds that divergence can create.

And this isn’t to say that humor around uncomfortable subjects (which I truly don’t believe this should be, but anyway) is some new innovation that memes are responsible for. Far from it, of course. In fact, I don’t think they would exist in quite the way they do without the long and varied human history at poking fun at the things that we all know to be true on some intrinsic level, even if we don’t talk about them as often as we could or should. What is singular is to sit in the isolation of you home, or even in your own personal bubble space wherever you are (I have to keep reminding myself that it will be an option to be outside of the house again at some point) that’s easier to create than ever now, and to be able to connect with thousands or millions of other people about something that feels deeply personal because of a picture of a cat sitting in a bed with some writing on it. The way that these constructs can make us laugh, cry, and be introspective all at the same time in the same way that a good conversation or a well constructed story might is a powerful thing and not one to be discounted or ignored.

It’s a gift that these silly little jokes and jabs have been able to evolve into something more. It’s a strength of the internet that almost anything can have some form of weight or gravitas to it, as much as it may be a failing as well. It’s also fitting that it would be a little weird and different from how it’s been attempted before, but also more far reaching and effective.

Image credit: Alison Zai