RESEARCH Memes of the virus: social criticism of the corona pandemic on the internet Kevin Pauliks The author explains the term “in- Dawkins (1993) conceives of memes gives a false impression of how content ternet memes” and uses examples as “viruses of the mind”, the title of circulates on the internet. The idea that to show how they comment on the one of his often-quoted essays. What users are infected by viral content and coronavirus pandemic and reflect he means by this is, on the one hand, then passively spread it is, they argue, the discourse of crisis. that memes take on a life of their own, a marketing myth. Instead they see us- and on the other hand, that memes ers as actively involved in the process The corona pandemic has infected are as infectious as real viruses. Thus of deciding what content they will not only large parts of the world’s Dawkins (2006, p.  192) understands share with other users. The truth no population, but also the mass media memes as “living structures, not just doubt lies between these 2 arguments. and the internet. In the media, there is metaphorically but technically.” In his Jenkins, Ford and Green (2013, pp. 195- no escaping the virus. On the internet, view, memes replicate spontaneously, 228) admit themselves that content is the pandemic has gone viral. Internet in order to survive in the meme pool. “designed” for better dissemination. It memes, a popular form of communica- Humans act solely as vehicles for trans- must be emphasised, nonetheless, that tion among users, are frequently con- porting and spreading memes. In the content such as internet memes does cerned with the coronavirus. How do logic of evolutionary theory, there is not spread on its own, but is reliant such internet memes comment on the competition between different memes on the creativity and participation corona pandemic? This question will (e.g. between scientific theories, politi- of users, which is incompatible with be answered by means of influential cal ideologies or religious dogmas). The Dawkins’s original idea of “self-copying examples which reflect the discourse meme that will survive is the one that memes” (2006, p. 194). of crisis. is best adapted to its environment, i.e. Another incompatibility with to human needs and societal condi- D awkins’s theory derives from the fact tions. The more infectious memes are that the terms “meme” and “viral” do THE ORIGIN OF MEMES and the better they can lodge in the not mean the same thing on the inter- human brain and be transmitted to net. According to the communication Usually if we hear the term “meme” we other people, the higher their chances studies scholar Limor Shifman (2014, think of amusing images and videos of survival are. p. 56), a viral is “a single cultural unit” on the internet, not of evolutionary (e.g. a music video, a political image or biology. But this is exactly where the an advertising slogan), while memes term originated. The famous atheist MEMES ON THE INTERNET are “always a collection of texts” (e.g. and evolutionary biologist Richard image macros with various captions). Dawkins introduced the term “meme” Are memes and internet memes the So a meme on the internet only be- in his book The Selfish Gene in 1976, i.e. same thing? As far as Dawkins is con- comes a meme when content is copied decades before the World Wide Web. cerned, the original concept of the and changed. Virals, in contrast, only What Dawkins means by a meme is a meme offers a very good description consist of a single version, though this cultural unit that is transmitted from of what can be found on the internet can constitute the basis for internet person to person via imitation. By today. “The meaning is not that far memes. analogy with genes, the evolutionary away from the original. It’s anything biologist uses “meme” to describe a that goes viral.” (Dawkins, quoted in new, cultural replicator which drives Solon, 2013) As he sees it, memes are CORONA MEMES AS SOCIAL human evolution. Examples of such viral content that spreads of its own COMMENTARY memes are ideas, ideologies, religions, accord on the internet. sayings, melodies, styles of clothing This view is not unproblematic. Ac- Internet memes are not viruses, but etc., which evolve in the course of cording to Henry Jenkins, Sam Ford and they do make it possible to commu- cultural history. Joshua Green (2013, pp. 16-23), virality nicate about viruses, especially if the 46 33/2020/E RESEARCH virus is – due to a global pandemic – an ubiquitous topic. On the internet, PROCESSING THE INTER­ memes are often used to comment on GENERATIONAL CONFLICT current issues. As a means of commu- nication, memes facilitate discursive The corona pandemic is triggering exchanges about events within society, an intergenerational conflict, since and criticism of these events. The lat- the virus is mainly life-threatening for ter involves the use of humour, allow- older, immunocompromised people. ing critical distance from the topic Protective measures such as social (Moebius, 2018, pp.  6f.). Humorous distancing, quarantine and masks are memes thus enable users to address intended to protect these people. For Ill. 1: Corona-chan, also called Wuhan- sensitive topics and express criticism young people this therefore means chan, is an anthropomorphised represen- which would not be possible without restrictions, which are not always tation of the coronavirus in anime style, an ironic undertone. The following dis- readily accepted. The intergenerational here as a sexualised anime girl cussion will show how internet memes conflict on the internet had already comment critically on the coronavirus started before the pandemic, with the pandemic. slogan “OK boomer.” This is a dismiss- ive response to outdated, conservative statements by baby boomers (people REPRESENTATION OF THE born between 1946 and 1964).1 The ROLE OF CHINA meme culture can be associated mainly with millennials (born in 1981-1996) The coronavirus, which is known to and zoomers (born in 1997-2012), i.e. have originated in the Chinese province with adolescents and more or less of Wuhan, has been anthropomor- young adults.2 One of the accusations phised on the 4chan platform into a of the younger generations is that the young anime-style woman (Ill. 1). She older generation is to blame for climate is wearing a traditional qipao, and change. The allegation is that the baby holding a Chinese flag in one hand and boomers have recklessly exhausted the a Corona beer in the other. Like the planet’s resources with their lifestyle. Ebola-chan meme (Marcus & Singer, A meme from the television series 2017, pp.  350f.), the Corona-chan The Office with words inverted (“How meme sexualises the virus to make it the turntables…” instead of “How seem less dangerous. For users with the tables have turned…”) suggests the right affinities, fetishising it into an that the planet is using the virus to anime girl creates familiarity with an get its revenge on the baby boomer otherwise uncontrollable virus which generation (Ill. 3). In another meme the is only known from media images. Co- phrase “OK boomer” is anagrammed rona-chan emerged in a pre-pandemic into “K.O. boomer” (Ill. 4) to emphasise phase, at a time when the virus was still the lethality of the virus for the older mainly raging in China, and the West- generation. In the coronavirus pan- ern world was largely spared. When the demic, the OK boomer meme takes a pandemic finally erupted, China’s role certain malicious pleasure in targeting in the emergence and spread of the the people who are most endangered virus was scrutinised. For example, one by the virus, seeking to continue the webcomic implies that China deliber- intergenerational conflict even in the ately released the coronavirus into the crisis. world so it could subsequently present itself as the world power that saves the Ill. 2: China is presented as having deliberately spread the coronavirus, so it day (Ill. 2). As the personification of the CRITICISM OF PANIC BUYING can then play the part of the world power virus, then, Corona-chan also serves that saves the day to question political narratives or to The pandemic has brought numer- create new ones. ous restrictions in public life, with 33/2020/E 47 Screenshot from www.knowyourmeme.com Screenshot from www.knowyourmeme.com RESEARCH Ill. 3: A meme from the series The Office implying that the planet is Ill. 4: Anagramming of “O.K. Boomer” into “K.O. Boomer” using the virus to take revenge on the baby boomer generation curfews or lockdowns in many ates the situation, suggesting that regions. The uncertainty about the the experience of empty shelves CRITICISM OF CAPITALISM restrictive measures, combined and a lack of toilet paper could in with media images from China, future cause post-traumatic stress The capitalist system has been particu- where people infected with the disorders – and that it will only larly severely affected by the pandemic, virus were actually locked up in take a Corona beer to trigger such since many businesses have had to their houses, has led to irrational a reaction (Ill.  5). The Terminator close because of protective measures. panic buying. In many places, this meme goes a step further, implying a In many places the economy has been has meant shortages in disinfectant, civil war over toilet paper (Ill. 6). The reduced to a bare minimum. Essential soap and toilet paper. Some memes hoarding memes criticise the harm- jobs, which are often carried out by reflect this experience of shortages, ful purchasing behaviour of panic people from lower social class, must unusual for capitalist societies. The buyers in the crisis, which leads to ensure that society’s needs are met. Elmo Nuclear Bomb meme exagger- unnecessary shortages of goods. The Ralph In Danger meme from the Ill. 5: Hoarding memes: the experience of irrational hoarding, processed Ill. 6: Civil war over toilet paper – humorous criticism of panic in a meme buying in memes 48 33/2020/E Screenshot from www.reddit.com Screenshot from www.reddit.com Screenshot from www.reddit.com Screenshot from www.imgur.com RESEARCH thought experiment, with quarantine measures, panic dealing with the moral buying, short-time work etc.), which dilemma of sacrificing can be expressed and processed in one person to save the internet memes. In this way, many other people.3 intercultural communication on the In the internet meme, internet can contribute to social crisis this moral dilemma is management. given an anti-capitalist twist. The tram, aka the economy, can be NOTES stopped at any time to save human lives, the 1 One of the places where this response has been ut- only consequence be- tered is the New Zealand parliament: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3_tocfXUiI&feature=emb_ ing that corporations title [11.5.20] will lose money due to 2 Also known as Generation Y and Generation Z. the stoppage. The in- 3 A tram is travelling towards a group of people. To ternet meme simplifies save the group, one can redirect the tram to another track. On this track, however, there is one other per- the situation, however, son who would then be hit by the tram. Ill. 7: The luxury of working from home does not exist for the unemployment essential workers caused by the stop- page also endangers REFERENCES livelihoods. None- Dawkins, Richard (1993). Viruses of the mind. In Bo theless, the internet Dahlbom (Ed.), Dennett and his critics. Demystifying meme does identify a mind (pp. 13-27). Oxford: Blackwell. fundamental societal Dawkins, Richard (2006). The selfish gene. New York: Oxford University Press. problem: the value Jenkins, Henry, Ford, Sam & Green, Joshua (2013). of a human being in Spreadable media. Creating value and meaning in capitalism. a networked culture. New York/London: New York University Press. Marcus, Olivia Rose & Singer, Merrill (2017). Loving Ill. 8: Moral dilemma: the value of a human in capitalism Ebola-chan: internet memes in an epidemic. Media, CONCLUSION Culture & Society, 39(3), 341-356. Moebius, Simon (2018). Humor und Stereotype in Memes: ein theoretischer und methodischer Zugang Internet memes are zu einer komplizierten Verbindung. kommunikation@ gesellschaft, 19, 1-23. television series The Simpsons self-ironi- not virals or viruses which spread of Shifman, Limor (2014). Memes in digital culture. Cam- cally reflects the fact that such essential their own accord, as envisaged by bridge: The MIT Press. workers, who do not enjoy the luxury Dawkins. Instead they are specific Solon, Olivia (2013). Richard Dawkins on the internet’s of working from home, face height- pictorial practices that are reliant on hijacking of the word ‘meme’. Available at: http://www. wired.co.uk/article/richard-dawkins-memes [11.5.20] ened risks (Ill.  7). “I’m essential” has human participation: without this they the same meaning as Ralph’s original cannot form a group of texts. In other statement, “I’m in danger.” The journey words, internet memes are only cre- THE AUTHOR back to work is accompanied by gal- ated in a collective exchange. lows humour. Despite the health risks This collective exchange has been illus- Kevin Pauliks , posed by the pandemic, it was not long trated in the internet memes analysed M.A., is a research before neoliberal voices were calling for here, which reflect different discourses associate in the the economy to be restarted. In the of the corona pandemic. They com- DFG (German USA, a new discourse pitted human ment on events in society from a Research Foun- lives against the good of the economy. humorous, not always politically cor- dation) project Old people were expected to sacrifice rect perspective, thus mirroring social “Pictorial Picture themselves for the economy, to prevent reality on the internet. The discourses Critique in Social the system from crashing – that was are conducted internationally, as the Media” within the framework of the priority programme the argument. This discourse has been corona memes show. Because of the “The Digital Image” at the Philipps- evoked and exaggerated by the trolley pandemic, people all over the world Universität Marburg, Germany. meme (Ill. 8). The trolley problem is a are having similar experiences (e.g. 33/2020/E 49 Screenshot from www.reddit.com Screenshot from www.reddit.com