Caption: Politicians are using memes as part of their speech and campaigns. Photo source: Screenshot of New Zealand Parliament Vimeo, nzparliment.
Humourless memes can be the downfall of a politician’s career.
Recently, New Zealand lawmaker, Chloe Swarbrick, 25, quoted the “ok boomer” meme from Tik Tok in the middle of her speech during her Climate Change Response speech on November 4, 2019.
Politicians are now using memes to engage with their audience and are even using it to respond to their oppositions online.
The use of memes to connect with their audience can be seen as a way for politicians to show that they are relatable to the people, especially the younger generations.
Memes are considered the visual language of social media where millennials express their views with the use of relatable humour.
While the idea of important officials posting memes seems like a great way to connect with the citizens, they should also be careful of posting memes.
“If a politician uses a meme, they might be seen as being trendy but the downside is that they might also be seen as trying too hard,” said Dr Colin Smith, 53, Mass Communications Lecturer at Kaplan Singapore.
Although memes can be effective in getting public attention, the purpose of using memes could affect the public image of the officials.
Trying too hard or poor use of memes could lead to the politicians being made fun of on the Internet.
This was the case for the 2016 Presidential Candidate Hilary Clinton who is known for using memes and has been made into a meme during her presidential campaign.
Due to this, Dr Smith advises against using memes to further political agenda.
“They should not be using memes. They should be getting messages out to the people and showing people that they are effectively getting things done for the benefit of the people,” he said.
Memes can be a fun alternative way to engage the audience but it can come at a cost.
Video Link: https://youtu.be/nB0FRyTd3CI
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