There has been a debate as old as time about whether life imitates art or if art imitates life. However, in the online space, the argument has switched over to whether memes imitate life or life imitates memes. I’d like to think that we create from our experiences, so that’s why so many memes on the internet are sometimes way too real for our own comfort.
Speaking of… We have a whole batch of existential and relatable memes, courtesy of the 'TooMeIrlForMeIrl' subreddit. Scroll down to find them, and don’t forget to upvote the ones that you sympathize with the most.
While you're at it, make sure to check out a conversation with one of the subreddit's moderators under the nickname of FlyingPegasus and artists Heidi Jung and Jordan Swain, who kindly agreed to tell us more about art and memes imitating life and vice versa.
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While the origins of the 'TooMeIrlForMeIrl' subreddit are unfortunately unknown, one of its moderators, FlyingPegasus, gladly agreed to tell us what it's all about.
"I would describe it as memes that are all too familiar with everyday happenings and events that one can relate to," they told Bored Panda.
"What I like the most is the positive atmosphere it creates for everyone. Let's face it, a lot of us go through the same relatable experiences in our day-to-day lives. So the memes make for an immediate connection."
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The moderator's overall take on memes is this: "Memes are a creative expression of comedy for most people. Their simplicity makes it accessible for a wide-reaching audience. In general, I believe they create a positive impact because, despite everyone's differences, the community can come together to enjoy memes," they concluded.
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Meanwhile, painter and photographer Jordan Swain could even see memes as pieces of art.
"Memes are absolutely art, whether people want to admit it or not. They’re bite-sized cultural commentaries, using visuals and text to convey complex emotions, humor, and societal critiques in seconds."
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Artist Heidi Jung could also see memes as art, but she's a bit more skeptical about it. "That requires us to ask the other age-old question, “What is art?'. In my mind, in order to be called art, something needs to have several elements. Does it strike an emotion, is it one of a kind and is it made by the human hand?" she says.
"Under these guidelines, I think memes could be called a creative expression but are several elements away from being called art. I think they might better be described as a creative craft, with predictable elements placed together to achieve the item. A+B=C, image + text = meme."
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Since memes could be in some way considered art, this brings us back to the question we started this article with: Does life imitate art (memes) or does art (memes) imitate life?
"The chicken-and-egg debate of the creative world," commented Swain. "Life throws something at us, and art catches it, exaggerates it, abstracts it, and throws it back. Then life, in turn, borrows from what art has reshaped. It’s not so much a matter of which imitates which, it’s more like a constant feedback loop where neither can exist without the other," she explains.
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Jung seems to agree that one can't exist without the other. "I think that questions like this and others such as “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”, can best be explained by giving them a visual symbol like the Yin and Yang symbol or the infinity symbol. They rely on each other to exist and one depends on the other, therefore there isn’t one without the other."
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Whether it's the case of art or memes, people imitate life because it's all they know, says Swain. "Even the most surreal, abstract work is still rooted in someone’s perception, emotions, or subconscious experience. Can we create without pulling from our experiences? Technically, sure. But it would probably feel hollow, like AI-generated art that looks nice but has no real soul behind it. The best art resonates because it reflects something true, whether that’s personal, cultural, or universal."
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Meanwhile, Jung says, "I think people imitate life in order to draw a closer connection to it. It is a big world out there and people want to be a part of the conversation and possibly make their small mark on society. Their 15 minutes of fame."
She also agrees that we can create without including our experiences in our works, but it would lack depth, meaning, and layers, which make up a higher-quality creation. "For example, something really hitting the universal mark, rather than falling flat due to lack of experiential understanding."
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Lastly, Jung additionally mentioned, "Whether classified as art or not, memes have created an oftentimes comedic language and dialogue desperately needed in these times. I know I use and rely on comedy regularly to absorb the amount of incoming information that we are peppered with on a regular basis in a digital age."
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