Memes work to counter cultural norms in a humorous way. Memes are heavily influenced by culture and vary among their target demographics.
Through a semiotic viewing of the meme, the audience may recognize Arthur from PBS’s television show, Arthur. In the image, he is seen wearing headphones, yet his headphones are not placed on his ears, thus reflecting the idea that he is not actually listening to anything. The image also zooms in two times to emphasize this idea, caricaturing the fact that Arthur is not listening and the image itself does not make logical sense. The caption: “me listening to my own advice” becomes humorous in the context of the image. Through a discursive view, the text functions as a means of creating a personal connection between the audience and the meme. In American culture, the high paced lifestyle and success of an individual is highly valued. Individuals are often defined by their high performance and achievements; the meme subverts this idea through self-deprecation and humor. By normalizing human error and accepting failure and fault, this meme subverts from presenting our best selves and instead normalizes the ability to poke fun at oneself. Due to the use of Arthur, the meme may be more meaningful to a younger audience considering the television series originated in 1996. However, because the meme is humorous in itself and does not require any prior knowledge nor reference any other texts, the meme becomes accessible to a larger audience despite whether or not the audience member has seen the television series before. This meme subverts the idea that we need to present our best selves in society to be taken seriously. The meme shows the humor in fault and the fact that all humans make mistakes.
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