By Mckenzie Masters
Life Editor
What began as a creative way to express oneself has now become an increasingly popular Facebook page for Union University students to poke fun and share comic relief.
The Union Memes Facebook page reached 1,100 likes recently and numbers continue to grow. However, creators have remained fairly anonymous, posting memes without names attached.
Memes consist of a photo background with words that often are witty or satirical. Photos for the meme often are taken from Union’s website.
Creators also can use meme generators found on the Internet and just drag and drop their pictures and words.
Michael Cole, creator and senior digital media studies major, explained that the level of anonymity has been consistent since the beginning of the Facebook page in March 2012.
“Union Memes is one of the few Facebook groups for Union that actually has had a level of anonymity the entire time we’ve had it,” Cole said. “There’s always been a few people that have known, but a lot of people don’t.”
“It’s just a quick funny for most people, and it’s a good way to poke fun at specific things on campus,” Cole said. “We try to keep it civil.”
Cole’s twin brother, Matt, senior digital media studies major, planted the seed for the creation of the page.
“Originally I came up with the idea,” Matt said. “We were working on a graphic design project back when memes were starting to take off, and I was getting frustrated with some things and decided to take my anguish out with a meme.”
Michael Cole created the page and added three other administrators, Matt Cole included, to monitor posts.
The two other administrators were Michael and Matt’s roommates: William Harman, junior music major; and Grant Atkinson, junior media communications major.
With these four men posting memes at least once a week, the page began to grow in “likes.”
Most memes on the page, especially the most ‘liked’ photographs, are those students can relate to most, such as suffering from what is now commonly referred to as the “Union plague” a stomach virus raging through campus at the beginning of February.
“The ‘Union plague’ really brought the page back,” Harman said.
The page is expected to grow as more students become involved with making memes. Most memes are created by students.
As seniors, Michael and Matt Cole hope to hand the reins over to Atkinson and Harman completely next year.
“We don’t know how long the fad of memes will last — perhaps only a couple more years, but we will see,” Matt Cole said.
