The Brief: A Doomer is a Wojak meme character of a young man who is depressed and pessimistic about the state of the world.
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An archetype that originated on 4chan, the Doomer is portrayed as nihilistic, hopeless, and scruffy. He’s represented in a cartoon of a Wojak face with stubble and a sad expression wearing a black beanie and black hoodie, with a cigarette in his mouth. These characters are said to be “blackpilled,” meaning that their eyes have been “opened” to nihilism and fatalism.
Variations of the meme paint Doomers in different situations, and at different ages, although he’s usually a Millennial or Zoomer. The most popular format for these memes features a picture of a wojak Doomer with a caption explaining the age or particular type of character in the meme. He’s surrounded by text explaining his particular situation and his qualms with the world around him.
Since his inception on 4chan, this meme has spread to various social media platforms including Reddit where the community r/Doomers has over 15,000 members. The Doomer Girl meme can be found on Reddit as well as more mainstream platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
While this internet archetype may help people dealing with depression and negative thoughts feel less alone, the meme and its surrounding community are often rife with alt-right rhetoric, antisemitism, and toxic masculinity aligned with incel ideology.