The Shift From Entertainment To Criticism
When the internet was still on the rise, internet memes were simply about parodies, photoshopped images, and rage comics. Today, opening Instagram and TikTok means getting overwhelmed by dozens of satirical posts and videos about corruption cases (or falsely alleged ones), government policies, or even controversial statements by government officials.
It can feel as if politics have been invading spaces that are originally reserved for entertainment. To be fair, people have been joking about politics for a long time, yet it is only recently that social media algorithms began suggesting this content to people; or is it?
“It’s So Hard Not to be Funny in This Situation.”
is the title of a journal article by Joel Penney. In his study, he explained that political memes do not just appear out of nowhere. Rather than using humor solely for entertainment purposes, people also use humor to process difficult realities and frustrations of the political scheme. Some participants in his survey even described it as a cathartic release, allowing them to deal with anger and frustration through humor rather than constantly carrying those emotions around.
This mirrors the situation in our country a lot: when everyone is frustrated with the state, it seems like the only way to respond to it is with denial—laughing off at how stupid some policies may seem.
But does all frustration manifest in memes?
It is important, however, to note that politics can be exhausting because it rarely affects people in their daily lives; at least not directly. Disappointment, anger, and helplessness are all valid emotions to feel when faced with economic crises, political dynasties, nepotism, corruption cases, democratic backsliding, police and military brutality, controversial speeches; the list goes on. But constantly feeling these negative emotions is difficult to bear with.
In the end, you will have to find a way to make it more manageable. Some people express this through direct protests, while others would criticize it through social media. Although frustration can manifest in different forms, humor seems to be the most attractive form—perhaps because it allows people to express emotions without fully carrying the emotional burden all the time.
Is frustration easier to share through memes?
Often, memes can help simplify what paragraphs struggle to explain. Let us be real here. Most of the discussion thus far can pretty much be summarized with the meme shown here. Instead of writing lengthy discussions on why people are so frustrated, you can easily summarize the feelings of millions only through one image with some short captions.
Moreover, humor also spreads very differently in comparison to political discourses. You have probably never seen anyone sending thorough analysis of policies to your WhatsApp group—unless you are a part of a niche community—yet most of the political content we consume are packaged in memes shared by our friends.
What starts as an individual’s frustration can quickly turn into a collective experience simply because humor makes politics easier to consume; and thus, easier to pass on. But is this a good or a bad sign?
How Politics Can Become More Approachable
One benefit of political memes is accessibility. Politics feels distant because discourses can become too technical, complicated, or to most people, intimidating. Penney notes that these entertaining formats can be more appealing and accessible for audiences who would normally avoid traditional political commentary or speeches entirely. Someone who may never read lengthy analyses can still become curious after encountering a meme on their personal feed. This is why there has been an increase in the number of young people who are willing to engage in current political issues.
Furthermore, there has been an ongoing stigma surrounding political memes that are attributed to esempeh students, although most of the time the demographic of political meme consumers is much wider. The point is, even people as young as early adolescents are starting to be politically literate. This is good because it serves as the foundation for active citizenship in any democracy.
A Study Case On Kenya’s Internet Uprising
In June 2024, the Kenyan government faced a wave of online criticism led by youths over the newly passed Finance Bill proposing new taxes. Rather than relying on conventional methods, young Kenyans flooded TikTok and X with satirical videos and memes criticizing the policies and more generally the lifestyle of politicians. This frustration quickly spread and later turned into wider public protests. Within weeks, the situation had manifested into massive nationwide protests, which eventually led to President William Ruto withdrawing the bill.
Political memes are more than spreading ideas because they can also create a community around collective experiences and emotions. Seeing tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of likes on a TikTok political meme has made people realize that their frustrations are not isolated. Suddenly, your own emotions are visible on a much larger scale. At these times, memes stop being jokes. Instead, they become representatives of public sentiments.
But surely it comes with harm, doesn’t it?
Still, turning politics into online content changes politics itself. Social media platforms inherently reward contents that are quick and easy to consume. Complex and nuanced discussions can become oversimplified into a video with a short caption. Most of the time, what the algorithm approves is not always what is most correct or informative. In simple terms, what spreads most successfully is simply what people find entertaining.
“Memory is a funny thing”—Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood
Indonesia itself gives an exceptionally good example. During the 2024 presidential election, Prabowo Subianto began to adopt a method different from his earlier attempts: online campaigns through funny and memeable content portraying him as the gemoy persona—approachable and entertaining to younger audiences. Consequently, discussions on allegations of past human rights violations were washed down by the amount of content surrounding his online image.
According to Michael Lynch, repeated exposure to memes can reshape politics and influence beliefs without people consciously noticing the impact of it. Memes can then slowly shape how people remember political figures and issues. When politics turns into entertainment, critical issues are easier to overlook.
My Personal Take On This
Political memes are everywhere not because everyone suddenly starts to become more political overnight. I would like to think of it in a more nuanced way: they are everywhere because frustration needs an outlet. Humor has helped millions to process, share, and understand the realities of the current situation much easier. Perhaps this is why memes have been such a common and widespread form of public criticism today.
But while humor can help us cope with reality, it should never be a substitute for understanding politics itself. Memes kickstarted my interest in politics before I started reading articles and discussions. It made me stop scrolling and ask, “what’s going on right now?” But curiosity should never end there. Humor may be the door to political awareness, but understanding still requires us to walk the path ourselves.
