Laughing at one’s self: A study of self-reflective internet memes

Abstract

Internet memes are part of the popular culture worldwide. These memes can be easily found in various social media platforms. This analysis further explores internet memes as expression tool to mimic or mock one’s situation. The analyzed memes are internet memes that have been circulating for the past years and are still used today. This study was conducted using the postmodern psychology theory along with a survey on internet memes and mental state. The analysis found that internet memes can be divided into three categories of self-reflective memes based on the postmodern psychology theory. All three categories believe in the existence of the other “self”, another part of a human that cannot be separated but is different than the person. Some of the categories reference the mental health issues that the users may have. The study also found that 70% of college students in Jakarta have experienced anxiety and/or depression symptoms while 47% of these students believe that looking at self-reflective internet memes help ease their symptoms.