Memes as PhD Therapy
Sources of self-care and therapy come in many different forms. For me, during my PhD studies- which I am currently engaged in and procrastinating in countless ways- I relied heavily on memes and gifs. Humor at my own expense, or the expense of the grueling doctoral journey in the form of memes was much cheaper than actual therapy, and less time consuming than exercise. Approximately 7,000 of my Instagram followers, fellow scholars and academics, would likely not contest the joy, masked pain and laughter memes provide.
I started @PhD_Support_Group on a whim during a text exchange with my PhD foursome, a group of three fellow PhD colleagues and sufferers and myself. Little did I know the far reaches of a good meme. Memes can be a universal language, especially when topical, such as PhD studies. I receive comments between friends in multiple languages, and I am sure to “like” them all (Thanks, Google Translate). I would be remiss if I did not mention that my posts are not all original. Some are reposted, stolen (with credit), and adapted.
There is some psychology behind memes and their healing powers; much like satire. Take it from Katlyn Roberts on the Medium, “When you apply satire to your own personal writing, you give yourself the superpower of being able to genuinely laugh in the face of your own pain and shame” (Roberts, 2019, para. 40).
Memes are used to build rapport and comradery amongst work colleagues, friends, family, politically like-minded allies, and PhD students. When publicized, the “likes,” reactions and affirming comments provide an added layer of comfort and solace. Memes are the outlet I use in hopes of gently transforming, I mean nudging, the way we talk about academia and its exclusivity, rigid, heavily male dominated, implicitly bias culture.
My Instagram page is essentially building community through memes.
We all have a love hate relationship with our dissertation, committee, and academia in general.
I encourage you to find outlets that make you laugh…until you cry. Then, build a support group around it.
In closing, here are a few @PhD_Support_Group memes. Visit the page for others, and don’t forget to “like.” My self-worth as a PhD candidate depends on it.
Taken on a trip to the Tetons in Jackson Hole, WY. A trip I took instead of working on chapter five. The photo was inspired by overwhelming guilt and ongoing importer syndrome.
An image I conveniently borrowed from my friend’s father’s Instagram account. It really spoke to the experience of making headway with ideas and words during the writing process.
For the love of a higher being, never ask a PhD student when they’re going to be finished. Someone please relay the message to my entire family. Ask me how it’s going and I may sigh with relief and reply with an somber, “good.” Seven months ago, I’d look like the man, the myth, the legend, Michael Jordan right here.