Meme Culture and Institutional Critique: An Interview with UoB History Memes

By Hope Talbot, Second Year History, Editor-In-Chief of the Bristorian

Having a subject-specific meme page seems almost akin to a holy rite of passage. Across the country, student pages brim with memes to critique, confess and mock the trials and tribulations of academic institutions. 

Whilst they often remain playful group chat fodder, memes act as one of the few ways to truly express critique in a world that is so chronically online. In recent years, meme pages have become catalysts for institutional change and online accountability across varied communities and industries. 

In the art world, the meme account Freeze Magazine (@freeze_magazine) has perfected the format to offer seethingly accurate critiques of the art world’s often grim practices. 

Similar stories have come out of other scathing meme pages such as that of Diet Prada (@diet_prada), who routinely uses memes to call out big fashion for mal-practice and to defend small businesses whose designs are routinely stolen by designer brands. 

Whilst these pages can offer vigilante-style justice on behalf of vulnerable individuals, issues also arise from meme pages being an overwhelming male-dominated space. As cultural analysts have previously pointed out, much of the world of memes is dominated by white men, with large elements of meme culture playing into ideas of patriarchy in bashing women as its main targets. Whilst much of this has been used to critique the incel cultures often behind sexist memes, it's an origin that still nonetheless exists. 

Whilst the genre may be morally ambiguous and varied in its approaches to critique and humour, the University of Bristol is never short of its own meme pages. Whilst the pages of BrisTruths and Overheard at UoB (@overheardatU0b) have gained mass attention, one niche meme page rose above them all last semester….

With ‘Ronald Hutton Simp Posting’ as its modus operandi, UOB History Memes bought an unrelenting amount of joy to the often painful existence of student life. With its charming ridicule of icons of the History Department, as well as a good dose of self-deprecating humour, the page encapsulated the voice and spirit of what it is to be a student of the Humanities. 

With the UoB History Memes on hiatus, the Bristorian caught up with the page to discuss meme culture, History, and the future of this much-loved creation: 

 

HT: What prompted you to make UoB History Memes?

UoB History Memes:  Honestly, it was one of those things that started because I was bored and I thought it would be a bit funny. I'm friends with some engineers who started a similar meme page for their course and I kind of stole the idea from them…

Because of the pandemic, I feel like I lost out on a lot of the social aspects of my course. Whilst I never knew it would become as popular as it did, the meme page did unintentionally allow me to interact with a lot more people from my course who I'd never met before.

HT: Do you think memes can ever be good institutional critiques?

UoB History Memes: I think you can imagine memes to be like the modern generation's version of those old satirical punch cartoons we sometimes use as historical sources.

It's true that at the end of the day memes are just a bit of fun, and in most cases, they're not going to be presenting any particularly deep or nuanced arguments. However, like all forms of satire, sometimes memes do poke fun at some very real issues and highlight them in a way that gives people a new perspective.

Does this mean that memes are going to play a huge part in influencing government policy? Probably not. But I think it's telling how quickly people are to make memes about very serious political issues and wars as they get reported in the news. I think memes are certainly a funny, if not very nuanced way of reflecting people's perspectives on current issues.

 

HT: What’s your favourite meme you’ve ever made?

UoB History Memes: This has got to be my favourite of all the memes I posted last year. It was one of the most popular posts on my page and I think it's because so many people found it relatable.

By the time I posted this meme, a couple of lecturers were following my page. I find it hilarious that they would be sitting there looking at this meme that's basically an admission that their students are engaging in bad practices as historians. I also think the picture was one of the funniest I managed to find.

I also have to mention how much I loved the memes I made about the lecturers last year. Richard Stone specifically asked me to make a meme about him and I have to admit I really enjoyed having the lecturers laugh at the jokes rather than get offended by them.

HT: Do you think memes have a societal function?

UoB History Memes: I suppose the "societal function" of memes is the same as any other form of satirical media or art that expresses a point. It's easy for us to just see memes now as this dumb jokes and indeed most of the time they are just dumb jokes. But, looking back on them at some point in the future we might find that they actually reflected a lot more about us than we initially realised, even if that reflection only tells us what kind of humour was floating around at the time.

I think it's interesting how much memes reflect on the current climate. Back during the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns, I remember seeing a lot of interesting but incredibly depressing memes that really resonated with how I and a lot of others were feeling at the time. Maybe this just speaks to the power of social media algorithms, but I do find it really interesting how many memes I find that really resonates with how I'm feeling about the current situation socially or politically.

 

HT: Any big plans for the future of UoB History Memes?

UoB History Memes: That's a good question. After finishing my history degree a couple of months ago I considered passing the page on to someone else but I never did.

Having started the page from scratch and seeing what it grew into, I felt a bit sentimental and didn't want to just leave it behind with someone else.

Sooner or later I'll probably pass the page to someone else, though in the meantime who knows... maybe I'll get some of the current history undergrads to inform me on current events so I can post more memes from the shadows...






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