I can't remember how or when the word "meme" wormed its way into my vocabulary or when I learned how to pronounce it correctly, but it found a place in my world like most of the words I use today. As most users of social media know (which means a large portion of the population), a meme as defined by dictionary.com is "a humorous image, video, piece of text, etc., that is copied (often with slight variations) and spread rapidly by Internet users." Interestingly, the other definition of a meme is "an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means, especially imitation." Therefore, memes connect the social media community in and across platforms and are a major part of our culture.

If you don't spend much time on social media, you probably use your time more efficiently, but also lack much of the context and understanding of many memes. The popularity of certain memes changes at a rapid rate. I remember when the blue/black and gold/white dress debate happened, I was extremely confused since I hadn't been online all day. Nowadays, multiple memes are combined creating a complex meaning that one can only understand by knowing the context behind each meme used.

What interests me the most about memes, is how they bring people closer together. The usual formatting consists of "that moment when" or a description of a specific scenario that thousands of people share a mutual understanding about or have experienced. These scenarios can be extremely embarrassing or something you may not want other people to know, but in this specific format, the laughter clouds any inhibitions of agreeing with the post. The urge to share the post with a friend is almost immediate. It's no longer a secret, and there is no regret in admitting that you have been in that position.

It's this instant connection that makes people more relatable through social media. Of course, it is easier to approach someone over a screen, but memes are an excellent transition into a conversation. The thousands of comments beneath memes on Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and other social media platforms prove this. I'm sure all the tagging in the comments have to lead to private conversations between friends. I easily send or tag my friends in posts every day. These lead to private conversations, but sometimes the comments under a meme can have even better stories that people choose to share unaffected by how badly they might make you cringe.

Memes make people more relatable because they also serve as a reminder of how everyone is human like yourself. Through social media, a person can make their life look perfect with carefully positioned photos and filters. When thousands of people comment "this is me" or "same," especially when you imagine them with flawless lives, it allows you to take a step back and realize that everyone has freaked out about maybe clogging the toilet at someone else's house.

Social media has gotten a bad rap for being the cause of higher rates of depression, anxiety, and perpetuating unrealistic expectations, but there's also a reason why so many still continue to use it. Keep on sharing those memes!