The other day my profile picture on WhatsApp was of the famous Salt Bae, and my mom had to ask, “Who’s that in your picture?” Of course I tell her I don’t personally know Salt Bae, but the meme was too good not to share. “A meme? What’s a meme?”

I don’t actually remember seeing my first meme or even knowing what it was, but all of a sudden Pepe The Frog and other relatable characters made their way onto my social media timelines.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and on social media it just may be true. You just have to type in one key word or phrase like ‘slay’ or ‘Rihanna’ to get a treasure chest of pictures that say it best. If you type in “LOL” or “current mood”, any of the terms we use with friends on a daily basis, you’re bound to find just the right reaction to use in the sea of choices.

Are memes replacing conversation? Well, a friend of mine and I have created a way of communicating to one another only through memes. I will send a meme of an excited dog and she’ll send back a twerking clown, that’s all we need to know and it says we’re excited to see each other the following day. It’s weird to know we both know exactly what we’re saying without using words to express ourselves.

Memes and GIFS are creating a language of their own that is understood by youth. It’s a visual language. Memes spread through the web like a virus, that’s why it’s called going “viral”.

TIME magazine did a survey and found that 36% of young people between the ages of 18 and 34 say that visual symbols can express their thoughts and feelings better than words can. Because the world seems a little bit smaller when you’re lost in these virtual worlds, we all feel like we’re in on the joke or sharing a secret, and contributing to conversations with people all over the world.

Of course, Memes and GIFS are not always used for good. Sometimes they can be used to humiliate or hurt people or perpetuate harmful stereotypes. Imagine if your picture was taken without your consent and you wake up to be an overnight meme superstar without any knowledge that your images have been circulating the web?

Trust me, it happens, and it’s raising questions in the courtrooms about freedom of expression, what belongs to us on the Internet and what doesn’t, who should be paid for that content, and how we can protect ourselves from these situations.

Legal issues aside, I guess what makes GIFs and Memes so interesting is that they are showing us real life people caught in situations that feel familiar. We can all relate to Cardi B memes and GIFs of Donald Trump, but there’s nothing like a meme of Baleka Mbete serving looks in Parliament to get a shared laugh at home.

We’re all from different backgrounds and have different identities but somehow meme culture sums up small pieces of what it means to be human in the year 2017, and imagines culture in a different way where we all somehow just get it.

Have you got a favourite Meme or GIF? What is it?

Do you agree that memes and GIFs are becoming a new way we talk to one another?
Can visual symbols like Memes and GIFS express feelings and ideas better than words can?