As we continue to live in the 21st century, an era in which technology has infiltrated every aspect of our lives and changed them for better or for worse, our interactions with social media also continue to grow every single day, a platform which claims to give people freedom of expression. We come across posts, reels and videos that all strangely look similar, like clones, and yet we laugh and scroll mindlessly. In the midst of all the chaos, one question prevails: is it really self-expression if there is an algorithm working overtime to tell you who to be and what to like?
With the rise of “microtrends” and “brainrot” humour, we feel more and more of our autonomy being stripped away. Every single person you know is laughing at the same joke in a different variant. This is especially the case with brainrot, where every other post you come across on social media platforms is essentially a continuation or follow-up of the last post you saw. Humour is no longer a trait subject to everyone’s personalities. Instead it’s the next meme you come across which has likes from your mutuals on it.
What is even more disturbing is that an algorithm which claims to know us better than we know ourselves and claims to create a more “personalised” experience for us is actually trapping us into an echo chamber of dull but addictive content which is not only killing individuality but also creating a monoculture where everyone likes the same things. What we don’t realise is that this “monoculture” doesn’t just affect us as individuals but also as a society, where local sarcasm, regional humour and distinct traits that make us as humans unique and different are lost.
In addition, microtrends which invade our feeds for several weeks on end not only promote consumerist culture but also stop people from appreciating their own culture and identity. This emphasises how our fear of being judged leads us to chase things that are considered safe and acceptable, oftentimes making us forget our identities and personal preferences. Moreover, hyper-niche aesthetics rising and falling cause financial strain and detrimental effects on our already deteriorating environment and also deprive us of originality. Once more, making us clones of each other.
In conclusion, social media humour continues to strip us of any individuality that we possess, and we continue to engage with these memes and trends that we more often than not don’t actually find funny. The internet has begun to feel like a real-life episode of Black Mirror, where we spend so much time inside a bell jar of safe content that we forget to find ourselves and actually express ourselves. The human fear of being singled out and being labelled as “cringe” is making us lose our unique wit and cultural identity. So the next time you decide to engage with a meme, just ask yourself this one question: do you really find this funny, or did you just see your friend’s like on it, too?