Static images used to make pop culture references, otherwise known as memes, have become the backbone of millennial culture and love of the internet. Used for years as a simple means of communication on social media platforms, the inherently comedic photos have started to reference significantly more than just pop culture itself. Political memes on Facebook have started to spread like wildfire as a result of the upcoming 2020 election, flooding the newsfeeds of people everywhere. Acting somewhat as advertisements, Facebook has implemented a separate page for these posts, as well as other political branded content, in an attempt to heighten transparency in political campaigns.

Why The Highlighting of Political Memes on Facebook Matters

The politicizing of memes reassures the idea that anything can be made political. Digital media has created the 24-hour news cycle that fuels the fire behind invariable talk of politics, making it difficult for the general public to decipher between words of government figures themselves and words of fellow citizens. As we live in a time where trending topics of this sort carry significant influence, the higher the amount of transparency applied to social media platforms, the better. This management of political memes on Facebook establishes a higher standard for all platforms in terms of honesty when publicizing political ideas.

How This Function Will Change Your Feed

In the same way that advertisements are categorized and labeled as such on all social channels, political memes on Facebook will now be found underneath a section titled “Political Branded Content.” The new division will appear as a column on the side of user newsfeeds. A tool that discloses the creator of certain memes and trending hashtags, this crucial feature creates an online space for ethically promoted political ads without disrupting the general look and function of Facebook.