Not long ago, scrolling through social media outlets was not overflowing with meme accounts that flooded one’s feed. But similar to the comic relief present in Shakespeare’s Macbeth to lighten the tragedy of the events, meme culture is present on social media to provide a humorous way of expressions that have been surfacing on the Internet.
According to Digital Trends, “while an outright definition of a meme is hard to nail down, the term is most often associated with an image or video that portrays a particular concept or idea and is spread through social platforms on the internet,” as stated.
Memes As A Professional Tool
Meme-sharing on social media has surely increased the interaction between users and is often used by social media professionals to attract the attention of their audiences. An article on the usage of memes by marketers depicted through the Social Media Examiner, “for professional storytellers—digital marketers, entrepreneurs, entertainers, and creative pros—meme marketing can be an extremely low-cost way to create engaging content that attracts a following,” which suggests that social media has found more than one positive way to use memes.
But, everyone is guilty of sharing at least one meme on social media that relates to their work life. Let’s face it, have you ever scrolled through social media on a Saturday night and found a meme saying how much it would be nice to have a four-day weekend and believed it? Yes, we are all guilty of succumbing to the humor of memes, especially when it’s imperatively relatable, but at what expense do memes and social media affect our work environment?
The psychological impact of memes and social media can do either two of the following: it can foster a better work environment or it can muster up excuses for a negatively-impact work environment. A gray area does not really exist in this respect. The Kontra Agency highlighted the effect of social media on workplace productivity, “the problem arises in the excessive use of social media at the workplace. It can reduce employee productivity and with that, cause direct damage to the employer,” as stated in the article by Kontra.
Memes As A Distraction
The excessive personal usage of social media can affect the productivity of the employees and can thus affect the work environment. Personal here is highlighted because in the digital world we live in, social media has become a steady job for many people in the workforce.
A report on ResearchGate discussing the well-being and work productivity of employees as a result of social media found that “with regard to the impact of social media addiction on the work productivity of employees, three categories of themes were identified. They were (a) Not meeting deadlines, (b) Compromise with the work quality, and (c) Distraction from work. Employees across all the companies identified each of these themes as outcomes of overusing social media. The following section examines each of these outcomes in detail,” as explained in the publication.
Albeit, memes and social media, if used wisely, can actually promote a healthy and fun working environment. Thrive Global explained this balance when it stated in an article, “If users don’t know how to manage their time, they won’t be productive at work. But, that doesn’t make social media is bad – on the contrary. It all depends on the user and how they plan on investing their time in the office,” as stated.
It all comes down to the balance. Indulging in 9GAG all night will probably make you tired the next day for a productive day at work — but learning to use it effectively and wisely is a win-win situation for both ends. A good laugh and a productive day is all that really matters at the end.
