Meme Analysis

Since the conception of the internet, memes have been used as a way to convey information. Whether it be genuinely important information, political satire, or humor. They are used as a way of displaying "culturally-relevant" ideas. That is why memes and social media get along so well together. They are both used for connecting people together online, often relating to different cultures or subcultures within the internet.

One example of a meme that I am going to analyze is the sigma male meme shown above. Stemming from the animal dominance hierarchy, the meme was first popularized by men in the manosphere who did not fit into the "better" category of men which would be the "Alpha Males". So, rather than categorizing themselves as "beta males" they went and created their own classification known as the "sigma male". Alphas are looked at to be the loudmouth leaders, while betas are seen to be the incels, with no presence in the sexual marketplace, don't enjoy life, and are typically obese or very frail. The sigma, however, is similar to the alpha but is quieter, independent, but also successful and cares only for himself and those close to him, and lives by his own rules listening only to himself. They are seen as an outsider, but still wins at the game of life, being successful and attracting a lot of females. Coming out of niche communities though, it quickly found itself in male self-improvement areas, and soon the entire internet.

While it was just funny at first, the meme shortly became an actual way people wanted to be, with many male improvement youtube channels posting "How To" videos on the subject. But, soon after many people saw the humor in some men trying to be something they're not turning the idea into a joke.

One issue with this meme that has risen though, is some people have taken the meme a little bit too seriously, in an attempt to get more women. It has created heavy amounts of misogyny and mistreatment of women. That has seemed to be a recurring theme in many meme communities, is they start off as humor but can quickly evolve into different types of toxicity depending on the scenario.