Memes and Virality: The New Expression of Popular Culture

Journal of Research and Development Peer Reviewed International, Open Access Journal. ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-10(IV)| October2025 28 Memes and Virality: The New Expression of Popular Culture Aarti Bhagavan Parit Department of English, S.B.Khade Mahavidyalaya, Koparde Tal: Karveer, Dist.: Kolhapur. Email: [email protected] Manuscript ID: JRD -2025-171008 ISSN: 2230-9578 Volume 17 Issue 10(IV) Pp. 28-29 October 2025 Submitted: 20 Sept. 2025 Revised:25 Sept. 2025 Accepted:10 Oct. 2025 Published: 31 Oct. 2025 Abstract In today's world, the use of social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok is seen to be increasing on large scale. Due to the use of Internet and Socialmedia, we can see a significant change in popular culture. This Social Media platforms gives us new ways to create, share and enjoy content. Memes and viral trends play a very important role in shaping popular culture. Memes and virality are important aspects of the digital age. In simple words, meme is a viral content which spreads quickly on this social media platforms. It contains a simple picture, video or any quotations. Also it carries a hidden meaning. Virality means such things that reach people instantly. This paper looks at how memes and virality works together to express a popular culture. Also it reflect that how social media gives us a power to creat, share, break and control a cultural ideas. This paper shows how digital communication how become a mix of entertainment, creativity, and social expression. However, it also discusses how the fast spreads of online trends can lead to misinformation or short-lived popularity. In conclusion the paper, argues, the memes and virality are not just for fun, the are powerful tools that shape ideas, influence opinions, and reflect the spirit of our digital society. KeywordsMeme, virality, social media platforms, humour, culture, entertainment, powerful tools. Introduction Raymond William define popular culture as the culture which well liked by many people. Another definition made by Raymond William is culture which actually made by the people for themselves. Popular Culture reflects the every day life, beliefs, and interests of ordinary people rather the elite or high culture. The term 'meme' coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976, originally referred to cultural units of transmission, analogous to genes in biology online memes have power to express the complex ideas, emotions and social commentary etc. in humorous way. Virality is like a any virus which spread very instantly through internet or social media. It is influenced by factors like relatability, emotional impact, humor, simplicity and timelines of the content. Limor Shifman defines Virality as a word of mouth like cascade diffusion process wherein a message is actively forwarded from one person to another, within and between multiple weakly linked personal networks, resulting in rapid increase in the number of people who are exposed to the message.In simpler terms, virality is like a chain reaction when one person shares content, it encourages others to share it too, and this process can make it spread extremely quickly, sometimes globally. Together, memes and virality illustrate how digital platforms influence Quick Response Code: Website: https://jrdrvb.org/ DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17464074 Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work noncommercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations ae licensed under the idential terms. Address for correspondence: Aarti Bhagavan Parit ,Department of English,.B.Khade Mahavidyalaya, Koparde Tal: Karveer, Dist.: Kolhapur. How to cite this article: Aarti Bhagavan Parit.(2025). Memes and Virality: The New Expression of Popular Culture , Journal of Research & Development, 17(10(IV)), 28-29 Original Article Journal of Research and Development Peer Reviewed International, Open Access Journal. ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-10(IV)| October2025 29 popular culture, turning ordinary users into content creators and enabling new forms of social internation, humour, and commentary.This paper explores the role of memes and virality in the digital ears examining their characteristics, mechanism of spreads, and impact on contemporary popular culture. Memes and viralityNew language of popular culture: Memes have their own language we can say that means can speak by have deep bidden meaning. Here 'Distracted Boyfriend' is viral meme which uses single image to express the feeling of temptation.Memes are not only for humour but also for express our thoughts, It is a new language to express our opinion which we can't express to anyone. In Maharashtra Balasaheb Thakure was very famous for their political memes. He always criticizes other politician's work through his memes. Only because of virality some people became a famous or viral overnight on social media. e.g. Priya Prakash Varrier. She becomes famous overnight after a short clip from her Malayalam movie where she winked went viral within 24 hours, she becomes an internet sensation across India and gained millions of followers. Another example is Ice Bucket challenge. Also it goes very viral in 2014 . It went viral not locally but globally. Memes and Virality are powerful tools of modern popular culture: 1) Easy Communication Memes have capacity to express ideas very quickly by using any image , text or videos. Meme is very impactful tool which easily connects with complex feelings within a second. e.g. ‘Distracted Boyfriend’ meme conveys temptation instantly without words. 2) Amplification of Messages: Virality acts as a powerful amplifier, it gains visibility to messages like any news, marketing campaigns etc. This makes information more memorable. e.g. The 'Pappu Meme' goes very Viral in India this lable, implying foolishness. 3) Global Reach Viral content spreads rapidly through social media, reaching millions worldwide. This allows ideas, trends or messages to be shared instantly across cultures. e.g. In 2012 ‘Gangnam Style’ by Psy The music video become the first video to reach 1 billion views on YouTube. 4) Impact on Society: Memes and viral trends are impactful tools. By using it social media campaigns and political commentary became very impactful for society. e.g. Political memes highlight issues humorously and make political debates more accessible. 5) Engagement and Participation: Anyone can create memes and share memes.People creat and share their own content that connects to people and go viral. 6) Cultural Impact: Meme act as unit of cultural transmission, rapidly spreading ideas and emotions across digital networks to reflect, shape, and challenge societal norms and public opinion. Memes serve as a mirror to the collective consciousness of society. e.g. ‘Waah Shampy Waah’ meme (2025) 'Russian Annexation' meme (2014) 7) Psychological Buffer: Usually humour can used for handling difficult or uncomfortable situations. In that time meme find normalcy and handle psychological buffer very easily. e.g. Disaster Girl meme (2019). During COVID-19 people shared this meme to cope with anxiety. Conclusion: In this digital age, popular culture has evolved from traditional media to online platforms, with memes and viral material playing a significant role, particularly memes and viral content taking on a prominent role. Memes are more than just amusing pics or flicks; they can swiftly and creatively communicate feelings and social commentary. Viral contents connects fellow humans globally, fosters shared cultural experiences, and shapes trends, language, and social habits. The rapid growth of memes and viral content has democratized popular culture. The exponential growth of memes and viral content has democratized popular culture. However, this fast-paced digital culture comes with responsibilities, including recognizing the impact of misinformation on society. Memes and liveliness have emerged as the new language of popular culture, representing societal ideals, humour, and concerns in the digital age. References: 1. Dawking, R,(1978). The Selfish Gene. Oxford University Press. 2. Shifman, L. (2013). Memes in Digital Culture. MIT Press. 3. Knobel, M., and Lankshear, C.(2007). A New Literacies Sampler. Peter Lang. 4. Milner, R. M.(2016). The World Made Meme: Public Conversations and Participatory Media. MIT Press. 5. Burgess, j., and Green, J.(2009). YouTube: Online Video and Participatory Culture. Polity Press.