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Meet the Memes

Whether it’s the mischievous skull-face with the cracking wide grin or the boiling-mad-with-exasperation expression, Lebanese Memes have swiftly evolved from a sweeping Lebanese phenomenon into an anchor in the local social media circles. These imported “Rage faces” have gained wide popularity in Lebanon and the region following their “Arabic translations”, where the memes were paired with quirky Arabic comments to express the Lebanese sense of sarcasm.

The created memes shed light on various details and characteristic of the Lebanese culture, society, and everyday life with a hilarious yet subtle humor. Whether it be poking fun at over-protective parents, pop-cultural icons such as Maya Diab, Haifa Wehbeh and Rami Ayach, the difficulties faced by aspiring Lebanese Casanovas trying to impress the opposite sex, or atrocious Lebanese driving habits, Lebanese Memes has captured the Zeitgeist among Lebanese youth. Their mission statement: “To reunite ALL the Lebanese people (In Lebanon & around the world) via pure Lebanese humor. .”

What people Think

“They’re really creative and hilarious,” says Jamal, 24-year-old member of the Facebook group. His friends seemed to echo his opinion. “You have no idea what they might make fun of next, and in what way,” says Mohammad Hajj, Jamal’s colleague at work. “Every time something happens in the country, they’re always ready to turn it into a joke.”

However, other crowds were not so impressed by the joke-at-the-spot. “It’s kind of silly,” says Loulwa, a dance instructor. “I think it’s a waste of time and energy to keep doing this.

Rasha, an LAU student and a “neutral” fan was also skeptical about the phenomenon: “They’re definitely funny sometimes,” she says dubiously, “but I feel they have hidden messages. They make fun of serious things, like explosions and people dying. That’s not very funny, but maybe it’s their way for calling for change” 

To Trouble, one of the anonymous cofounders in the group, Lebanese Memes is nothing more than a much-needed outlet for people living in a country divided into highly opinionated with-or-against social circles. “Every day in Lebanon is politics, politics, politics – religion, religion, religion,” says Trouble, one of the cofounders of the group. “Sectarianism is killing us ... [Lebanese Memes] provides a breath of fresh air, uniting people through humor.”

It was this precise aversion to politics and sects that attracted fans in staggering numbers. Within two days of its inception on February 9, 2012, Lebanese Memes managed to attract 4,000 followers. In fewer than two months, it has attracted over 33,000 followers, including over 2,000 in Canada, 1,500 in America and 1,000 in the United Arab Emirates. Trouble says that Lebanese Memes’ page reach is 200,000 per week, making it one of the most popular Lebanese pages on Facebook.

“It was a shock, completely spontaneous and unexpected,” says Trouble of the overnight success of the Lebanese Memes page on Facebook. “It was originally just a means of expressing humor between friends.”

How it all started

Trouble, who is a graduate of the Lebanese University and who also holds an MBA in marketing from the Nantes School of Management in France, cofounded Lebanese Memes along with two AUB graduates aged 29 and 27. “My friend is an electrical engineer and travels a lot on business,” says Trouble. “One day he had a couple of hours to kill before a flight from Bahrain airport and decided to set up the page ... The reaction has been incredible.”

To many people’s confusion, the three chose to remain anonymous, despite luring offers from Lebanese television networks that were keen to sponsor, advertise or host meme competitions and raise awareness of the ever-growing phenomenon. Was this an arrogant cloak-and-dagger marketing strategy? Apparently not. “We created the page for fun,” says Trouble firmly. “We are not seeking personal fame and we don’t want Lebanese Memes to be associated with individuals.”

The Applications: Create your own Meme

Perhaps to prove this anti-fame point of view, the young enthusiasts not only opened their door to fans’ suggestion and meme illustrations, but provided them with the suitable tools to create their own meme portfolio. Fans can now go to the “Create a MEME!!!” Section on the Lebanese Memes website and use Ragemaker, imported software created for first-time meme illustrators. So far, over a thousand fans have used this program to share their sense of humor. And that’s not all.

Users big on applications and the new social media wave can also download the latest Lebanese Memes App, created last year in December 2013 to further spread the humor. The first was created in August 2013 by GreenZ Apps company with a 4.96 MG capacity. This version did not seem to fare well as it received many negative comments stating it to be a “fail” due to “difficulty in smooth navigations” and time-consuming options.

The second version, which seems to be more successful, was created by programmer Nader Ayyad. The application received positive comments from more satisfied users and an overall 4.6 ratings from a much larger number of 1,214 users (the first version was rated 3.9 by only 63 users).

I personally downloaded the first version by GreenZ App and had no difficulty navigating through the latest images and videos (the most recent one being 162 days old exactly). Perhaps this was just an experimental version so they can fine tune it later on?

Either way, both applications promise latest updates on innovative pictures and videos, so users in and outside Lebanon can enjoy a laugh throughout the day.

The spread of humor throughout the region

It wasn’t soon before the phenomenon spread to wider circles throughout the Arabic region.  In months, various Facebook and Instagram accounts were created with the same theme: Nekat Free Style, Nekat awiyeh, King of Nekat are only a few examples. Meanwhile other Arab countries were simultaneously working on their own Arabic version of the memes, with groups like و عربية لبنانية نكت (Lebanese and Arabic jokes) and نكت سعودية (Saudi jokes) gathering up to 96,000 and 885,000 followers, respectively.

However, Trouble is swift to point out that “It’s not about competition. It’s about cooperation to spread the message.” And indeed, the message spread swiftly, fueled by the Arabs love for quirky sarcasm.