I think the writing of a meme is important and understated. Of course, it has to be understandable, but it also needs to be short enough that people will read it instead of thinking “I didn’t log on social media to read a book.” It also kind of provides the punchline to the joke; without it, we (as meme consumers) don’t really know what we’re supposed to think.
The visual, on the other hand, kind of demonstrates how we’re supposed to react. It goes hand-in-hand with the text to make the joke. The picture also makes the meme immediately recognizable if you’re scrolling through social media quickly. So, if you saw a particular kind of meme and thought it was funny, you’d likely stop the next time you saw that kind of meme. Overall, it’s important that they make sense together to make it clear what the point is and what the intended reaction is. Just like any type of rhetoric, the audience also has to be considered. Some memes apply to a wide audience, while some are very specific to certain fandoms, political beliefs, etc. I think the power of memes is underrated because it really does shape opinions during a quick scroll on social media.
Do you think memes that appeal to a wide audience or a specific audience are more successful?
Intro to Digital Texts and Media 
Hey Maddie, to answer your question, I think meme pages that appeal to specific audiences tend to have a more loyal following, and if they have a big enough audience then they are more successful and it’s easier to start up and maintain a successful following with specific audiences. For example, a friend of mine started a cat meme page and she’s had it for a year and now has half a million followers because cat people love cat memes. I think it’s harder to overall be really successful as a meme page with a wide following, but if you can manage it then those are generally more successful in terms of numbers than more concentrated meme pages. However, I like more specific audience meme pages better because they’re usually cleverer. I follow a meme page called “ancient memes for depressed teens,” and it has a very specific audience, but it is very successful because of how much its followers relate to and appreciate its thoughtful content.
I think it’s interesting you say the visual demonstrates how we’re supposed to react and I’m not totally sure what to make of that honestly though. I do agree with what you said about the visual making it immediately recognizable, as when you see a certain well-known image (or template of sort technically) you know how to read the meme and what kind of message it has immediately.
Great post!
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