finally! an end of the year meme that doesn't suck
Well, we've arrived at the dregs of 2020 and while we marinate in the impossibly weird sauce that is this time period between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, a lot of us are using what little energy we have left on end-of-year memes.
Usually around this time of year, we see trends like “me at the beginning of the year vs. at the end of the year” popping off or posts featuring a roundup of someone’s top nine most liked photographs on Instagram. More often than not, these posts are joke-y, if not a bit boring. Sometimes briefly reflective. And we participate in them because it’s simply something to do that’s not eating or watching yet another episode of The Office (Can confirm I’ve participated in all of the above because I have no willpower).
This year, a new-ish trend has popped off where people are asking their followers on Instagram Stories to “Show us a pic of…” The prompt has your followers asking you to post a picture of something personal to you: a memory, a feeling, a thing you like, a thing you don’t like.
You’ve likely seen it once or twice or perhaps a thousand times at this point, but in case you haven’t, this is what it looks like:
Admittedly, I decided to do this because attention feels nice and I’m lonely, but also I was actually curious about what my followers would ask me. Other people I saw participating had some pretty niche questions in their inbox, usually specific to the responder’s memories with the asker.
My responders did not disappoint. The series of prompts I received ranged from demands for photos from my travels to former workplaces to a moment that made me" “giggle” to even my favorite food. Some tripped me up (what am I most proud of?) while others (no, I will not show you a picture of my toe, Melissa!!!) I simply ignored.
All told, it was a wildly entertaining excuse to stroll down memory lane. Remembering experiences you’ve had through a specific lens, perhaps one like “show us a pic of you being a fierce diva bitch kween extraordinaire,” hits differently than simply looking at a photo from your birthday party last year. You mine the memory via the feeling instead of the visuals.
In a year where life has been far less than delightful and fewer memories worth recalling have been made, we all could stand to recall some previous joy and reminisce on the life we’ve lived.
So, yes, this trend is very wholesome. But I’m very on board with wholesome these days. The world could use more wholesomeness! Life is hard! Here’s to 2021 bringing us more wholesomeness and please let me know if you post this trend on your own Story because I will happily provide you with a prompt or two. May you recall as much joy as you possibly can.
Cheers, friends. See you next year.