Alright, I know what you're thinking: what the heck is a niche meme? Well, you may not know the term, but if you have an Instagram, twitter, or Tumblr account, you have most definitely come across a niche meme. They are especially prominent on Instagram, having whole accounts dedicated to their existence. A niche meme is a very particular meme, usually highlighting a specific aspect of the creators' life or poking fun at something the creator has seen or noticed. They are often very obscure, and few people can relate to them. Niche memes use aesthetically pleasing elements such as clip art, well-coordinated color schemes, and large fonts to draw in viewers. So now that you know what a niche meme is, let's give you an example.
Instagram
This niche meme is a perfect example of the specificity that goes into creating these things. The title "Evolution of My Music Taste" already prefaces that this is individual to the creator. This type of meme gives an inside look into people's lives. From this one meme we know that up until fifth grade the only music the creator listened to was dubstep, youtube mixes, and Taylor Swift. We also know that she looks down on her old taste in music (hinted from the "I had no idea what music was rip"). So, instead of writing in diaries now people are making… memes? It's a very odd concept to me, but these niche memes are extremely popular, especially among pre-teens. Honestly, the first time I saw one I thought it was a joke. How could anyone relate to these things? Isn't the whole purpose of putting content out on the internet relatability? To me, niche memes say something about our culture today.
In a world where everyone is so connected through social media and the internet, it is difficult to find originality. Everyone on the internet is aware of the newest trends, memes, etc. I think niche memes speak to the effort of people trying to be different in our overly connected world. These memes are only meant to be relatable to the people creating the small number of people who may have also had the same experience. It's a different way for young people to connect, but instead of connecting mass amounts of people, they connect very small groups, hence "niche." It also provides the creator a coping mechanism. Instead of talking about difficult subjects they may experience, they create a meme that a few people can say "hey, I've experienced that very specific thing too!" This small group of relatability brings people even closer than a large group of relatability. At the end of the day, niche memes represent the young people of our culture attempting to cope with their everyday lives, and also relate to each other on a hyper-specific level.
Here are some of my favorite obscure niche memes:
Instagram
Instagram
