What memes tell us about collective disillusionment

Highlight of the week: My team and I had a 3-day workshop in Toronto last week. We shared reflections, laughs, and a huge amount of Chinese food. Can’t wait to share what’s coming next… 👀 

This is Part 4 of a 4-part series on digital wellness, exploring why young people are more mentally ill and how technology plays a role. You can read last week’s essay here.

If you were online last week, this image may be seared in your memory.

If you haven’t had the privilege of meeting my dear friend, let me introduce you to bloated JD Vance, a hot-off-the-press meme found in most people’s feeds. 

He circumvents gender norms, crosses cultural barriers, and even has brand endorsements. 🤑

Like all groundbreaking artistic movements, bloated Vance appeared without warning and disappeared just as fast, leaving us to wonder: What did we do to deserve him? 

The extent to which I understand the meme is this: 

• 😡 Many people hate JD Vance

• 😵‍💫 The news cycle is so chaotic, particularly with the Zelenskyy showdown

• 📸 JD Vance’s official photo was allegedly edited to give him a more pronounced chin 

• 🍼 The Internet responded by doing the opposite – giving him exaggerated, childlike features, making him say “pwease” and throwing tantrums 

One media outlet explains, “I think the reason the memes are so popular and cut across partisan lines is there is something uniquely alien and awful about Vance.”  

Welcome to politics in 2025, where everything feels surreal.

How did we end up here?

Let’s break this down.

👉 The first thing to understand is that young people were raised on a never-ending cycle of crisis content (aka the news). 

There’s no newspaper to finish or TV to turn off. Breaking news finds you no matter where you are, and it’s personalized for your neuroses. 

To quote my brother-in-law, a psychiatrist, “These anxieties aren’t new, but the pace at which technology exacerbates those anxieties is.” 🫣

Fears about the future permeate many people’s lives. For example, 40% of people anticipate World War 3 in the next 10 years, and 3 in 4 Britons worry about climate change.  

👉 Politics has lost all decorum – probably because of social media.

This point needs no convincing. The political climate we’re in is unlike anything we’ve seen before. Politicians will scream on live TV and physically fight in the Senate – all of which is amplified online.

Nearly half of Americans say the internet and social media have made people less civil in the way they talk about politics.

👉 Trust in institutions is rapidly declining

This is a natural consequence of the last two points. The news constantly stokes fear that the world is ending (it’s not), and politicians’ response is to name-call and fistfight. 🥊

Public trust in government has reached a historic low in the US, and the UK is well behind the OECD average. A minority of people trust the news in the Western world, and people aged 18 to 24 are among the most skeptical.

How are people responding?

With either apathy or activism.

Many young people are resigned to engaging seriously with politics. According to the Reuters Institute, 39% of people worldwide actively avoid the news in some way. Yet, so long as you have a phone, it’s impossible to fully disconnect. 

Enter memes. 

I would argue that memes are a way of coping with the volume and insanity of the news content we’re faced with. They take a grim situation and make it tolerable (even enjoyable).

The other response is activism, which disproportionately takes place on social media.  

In its purest form, it raises awareness, shows solidarity, and sparks meaningful conversations with peers on important topics. At its worst, it’s accused of being performative, lazy, and annoying. 🙄

Only 15% of people say they like seeing political posts and discussions on social media. The majority are worn out by it. 

What happens when all these forces collide?

The never-ending doomcycle stokes fear that we’re living in the worst time ever. Rather than taking collective action, we’re channeling our angst, apathy, and overwhelm into memes. 🤡

This wraps up Doomscrollers’ first investigative series on why young people struggle with their mental health more than past generations. 

I’d love to know what you thought – send me a message, and let’s chat.

We’ll continue doing multi-part thematic series. Up next: How well does your algorithm know you? 🌟

So what?

💡 For strategists & researchers

• TLDR… Memes are Gen Z’s way of processing political disillusionment in a chaotic media landscape.

• Ask yourself… How can media adapt to a generation that engages with politics ironically?

• Check this out… An interesting study from the University of Michigan on memes’ role in political discourse online.

💭 For self-reflective readers

• TLDR… We’re making fun of the world because otherwise, it’s too overwhelming.

• Ask yourself… What portion of major news events do you learn about from memes?

• Check this out… Justin Trudeau getting roasted about Canada becoming the 51st state.

– Liat