“To Meme or Not to Meme”

• Thesis
  • “That’s right: internet memes played a role in my depressive spiral.”
  • The writer gives a clear and concise thesis as to where part of her depression stemmed from
  • This thesis statement gave a great introduction for many of the facts behind memes/depression written in the journal

• Target Audience
  • People who are suffering from depression, specifically as a result from memes
  • People who participate in creating memes
  • Internet/Social media users

• Ethos
  • Showing personal vulnerability from meme depression gives the author authority
  • The author uses different examples of memes that could have effect on people
  • The author also uses sources to enhance her authority

• Pathos
  • Emotion is the biggest strength of the article
  • The author uses emotion to grab readers, using herself as a victim of meme depression was the start
  • Using meme examples of certain emotions that we go through as people was a great way to connect with the reader

• Lagos
  • Again, the writer does a great job of making her situation logical to the reader by her meme examples. (A screenshot where an official Twitter account suggests to a person that memes are more beneficial than seeing professional help)
  • The way that the situation is explained throughout the journal brings logic. Simply, for people suffering from depression, memes can cause an added promotion to unhealthy behaviors

• Kairos
  • A sensitive, common, and dangerous topic such as depression itself brings about an urgency to help the issue
  • Memes are very frequent and viral. There is a sense of urgency to fix the problem because of how fast and widespread they are