Facebook had run its course. Gone were the days of poke wars, and we bade farewell to the status updates that 2009 us had clung to. An old ghost town of a social media platform remained, left with only the occasional tumbleweed and mother angry at her child’s school system. I’m sorry Leslie, we still do not care that they bleach the baby carrots.
Facebook was now for necessities only. Stalking that boy in your Anthro class, receiving info about various club groups we had signed up for accidentally at the involvement fair, and ignoring that one creepy guy who just can’t seem to understand that it does NOT go down in the DMs. What was once “Inbox me!” is now “text me.” Instagram had completely defeated the purpose of posting Facebook albums, and if you still played Words With Friends, we all worried about you.
So, how did Facebook make a comeback? We have meme culture to thank for this. While a meme is technically defined as “an activity, concept, catchphrase or piece of media which spreads, often as mimicry, from person to person via the Internet,” we all know this is just code for “something f**king hilarious.”
“Tag someone who…” and “When you’re….” began to pop up at every click, and we all found ourselves tagging our friends in everything from Obama in an FBI hat, to zoomed in images of Arthur’s fist.
“You.”
“Us.”
“Sums it up.”
Suddenly, Facebook feeds became a lot more interesting. Procrastination turned into scrolling through Facebook and Twitter and tagging friends in ridiculous posts that were somehow relatable. Extra credit to those who do this with their friends in the same room. There’s something satisfying over having a solid laugh at a post, tagging your friend, and then seeing their reaction right in front on you. In no time, notifications from Facebook became just as visible as Instagram likes, and before we knew it, we were completely absorbed in a world we thought was for those who had not caught up with the times.
Oh technology in the modern age, you dog.
It was memes that saved Facebook’s a**. That, and those dang Tasty videos.
Facebook, I’m proud of you. You go Glen Coco.