The Brief: People are sharing their New Year's resolutions for 2021 and cracking jokes about the process online via memes and tweets.
DEEP DIVE
In the early days of 2021, New Year’s resolution memes highlight the range of experiences people are having in setting and achieving goals for the new year. As 2020 was a particularly exhausting and disaster-filled period, some people are hoping that 2021 will be an improvement, while others are dreading the possibility that it will be even worse.
Everyone: New year's resolutions
2021: pic.twitter.com/2InyZqeRe4— Michael J. Seidlinger (@mjseidlinger) January 4, 2021
It’s common to see resolutions, manifestations, and goals shared on social media at the start of a new year as people want to hold themselves accountable and/or show off their improvements. Like anything on the internet, there are also parodies of these kinds of posts as people share how they’ve already failed to follow through on their resolutions or how they’re intentionally aiming low.
me: [last night] in 2021 i’m gonna cry less
me: [today] there’s been a change of plans
— slate (@PleaseBeGneiss) January 2, 2021
my plans for 2021:
-January
-February
-March
-April
-May
-June
-July
-August
-September
-October
-November
-December— ¹⁹⁹⁸ʰᵒⁿᵈᵃᶜᵒᵘᵖᵉ (@1998hondacoupe) January 1, 2021
My new year’s resolutions watching me break them pic.twitter.com/7qpwFtZi8G
— Saint Hoax (@SaintHoax) January 3, 2021
pleased to announce I've accomplished my new year's goal pic.twitter.com/m5ReQRqMIT
— Owl! at the Library 😴🧙♀️ (@SketchesbyBoze) January 4, 2021
As we saw with memes about the New Year, a calendar change doesn’t necessarily mean that anything will actually shift or improve.
the “2021 will be my year” preachers realising that corona doesn’t just disappear because the year changed #lockdown pic.twitter.com/fcrYCotPrQ
— CEO of waffling (@qwerkyq) January 4, 2021
According to comedian Sarah Cooper, her New Year’s resolution may involve finding a new go-to bit.
Sorry everyone, my New Years resolution was to try to not make criminals hilarious
— Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) January 3, 2021
My New Years resolution? pic.twitter.com/kFDoyqUSVj
— Jolly JavaSok 🎅🏻 (@javasok) January 2, 2021
my new years resolution is to shoplift more. money wastes paper.
— nat “cops break laws to terrorize/intimidate” puff (@LeftAtLondon) January 2, 2021
I’ve never had a New Years resolution because there has never been anything wrong with me. I’m perfect.
— the raccoon (@JAjueny) January 3, 2021
New Years resolution for 2021: pic.twitter.com/CcRvJAdcQV
— meelah bleu🤌🏽 (@alluringmeelahh) January 2, 2021
This Twitter user is sharing their 2021 resolutions via popular meme formats including a Sue Sylvester “I am going to create” image macro.
2021 resolutions pic.twitter.com/8o00X890iR
— diana🌸 (@Pockicchi) January 3, 2021
2021 New Year’s resolution memes can be found on Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook, and beyond.