Elon Musk has long been a name in the public sphere. Covered by the media for his success in the private rocket industry to Tesla, his pet car company that has grown to be one of the most valuable car companies in America, Elon Musk is not an obscure figure. However, more recently, he has become much more to millions of people. How did he get here?
Meme Culture
First, we need to start with meme culture; I’ll be short here because most of you will know exactly how meme culture works. Elon Musk is a great example of a serious character. Serious characters and serious situations are easy templates for memes. Exhibit A:
Obviously a joke, but funny nonetheless because it’s Elon Musk.
The Year of 2018
Second, the news cycle around Elon Musk changed drastically in 2018. He was a once flawless man that remained professional at all times. It wasn’t until he made tweets that broke laws around the stock market and he was under investigation by the government entity that regulates it. He also, without evidence, called a former British rescue diver a pedo after the British diver called Elon Musk’s rescue attempts for saving kids that were trapped in a cave stupid. He posted anime girls on his twitter. Last but most definitely not least, Elon Musk smoked…
