The Brief: As Coronavirus-related quarantines and self-isolation become more widespread, people are communicating through the video chat platform Zoom and making memes about it.
DEEP DIVE
Zoom memes illustrate some of the experiences people are having as social interactions move to video chat platforms like Zoom, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, and Skype. During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, social isolation and quarantine are key to preventing the spread of the virus. As schools, workplaces, social groups, and other forms of interaction move online, Zoom is becoming an increasingly popular tool for virtual communication.
Check out our roundup of memes and fun backgrounds to spice up your next Zoom meeting!
Me and my college friends seeing each other on zoom for the first time in a while pic.twitter.com/SFs6oXdOvz
— Jimmy Guest (@guest_jimmy) March 18, 2020
In the wake of this pandemic, the Zoom CEO has offered K-12 schools access to Zoom for free to make video classes more widely accessible. As many colleges shift to online learning, students are joking that they’re attending Zoom University.
The New York Times reported on the ways in which young people are turning to Zoom to replace IRL interactions, with many Gen Z-ers joking that the nickname for members of their generation Zoomers is a reference to their reliance on the platform.
Zoom Memes For Self Quaranteens
Created in March 2020, a Facebook group called “Zoom Memes For Self Quaranteens” has already accumulated over 200,000 members. This group mostly consists of students in quarantines or self-isolation sharing memes about their experiences to pass the time. It also features events such as a “Zager (zoom rager)” this Friday and Ok Zoomer Speed Dating.
Everyone’s schedule for rest of the semester 😩
Posted by Michael Cantú on Sunday, March 15, 2020
Posted by Jessica Carpenter on Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Memes From Zoom Classes, Meetings, Happy Hours, Etc.
Az Zoom becomes the ubiquitous platform for group video chats, memes reflect how social interactions from dating to work to parties and more are changing as they go online.
Zoom pro tip 1: Backgrounds are customizable.
Zoom pro tip 2: You can customize yourself right out of that meeting. pic.twitter.com/rV1KAyDEgF— Kate Buckley (@EchinoKate) March 17, 2020
in my first zoom class prof started sharing screen and one of her folders is just in all caps DIVORCE
— Magdalena Paz (@magdalenapaz22) March 16, 2020
my prof just emailed us saying she expects us not to wear sweats to our Zoom lecture bc that’s not how we would come to class… LOL
— janet (@jannnet19) March 16, 2020
My 14yo niece stayed up till midnight working on something, when I asked what, she said all her friends were planning to do a PowerPoint party on Zoom, where they’ll just lecture each other on topics that interest them. Hers is on astronomy.
The kids are so, so alright.
— Sim Kern (@sim_kern) March 16, 2020
Academic friends:
Isaac Newton discovered calculus while in quarantine.
William Shakespeare wrote "King Lear" while in quarantine.
You will learn how to unmute your computer's microphone during a Zoom meeting while in quarantine.
— Derek T. Muller (@derektmuller) March 14, 2020
Person leading the Zoom meeting: So, how is everyone??
Me: pic.twitter.com/skhMwaNzOh
— Tom Vellner (@tomgvellner) March 16, 2020
After much consideration, I’d like to announce my commitment to Zoom University to further my education. Thank you to everyone and especially the coronavirus for making this possible🙏 pic.twitter.com/SB3Ev8xnJF
— Dominic Wall (@dom__wall) March 13, 2020
Lol you thought you were better than me cause you went to Harvard???
We’re all attending Zoom University now pic.twitter.com/G7kQpNgNcR
— Evelyn (@Just_A_Dreamer5) March 14, 2020
Important update: when you start a zoom meeting, by default it uses the most recent background.
I found this out at lab meeting today. https://t.co/TYJFVIc8Ui
— Michael Baym (@baym) March 12, 2020
what if we kissed😳 at a zoom meeting🙈 haha jk…unless? pic.twitter.com/AUI2IiPTbg
— 🤯 (@jewishaystack) March 10, 2020
Old Habits from dankmemes