Wholesomeness is defined in the dictionary as promoting moral, mental and physical well being with oneself and others. The word has been derived from an ancient religious manuscript, the Ormulum, where it was initially recorded as “halsumm”.
Wholesome content is integral in the current Internet culture in realizing the anxiety, struggles and hate people endure by being empathetic to their hardships, thus encouraging positivity.
Most importantly, it initiates a conversation about what’s truly important in life: sharing happiness with each other.
Wholesomeness on the Internet
The internet is old and has evolved constantly from its conception. It stands now as the pinnacle of human achievement besides the moon landing, but the internet has gotten itself a bad rep and for good reason. When people use the internet, they generally dip their feet in a large ocean of information and entertainment. In this ocean, the people you are likely to encounter first are the average person’s representation of internet trolls who attack you on the first chance they sense disagreement with their opinions.
Under the waves of random, sarcastic, edgy, nihilist and ironic humor lie a whole group of people who go out of their way to spread good will. This genre of joviality is now known widely as wholesome content. These may consist of personal anecdotes, cute pictures of animals, wholesome news, music and the most popular being wholesome memes.
A Kind World
Recently, people cope with tension and stress by browsing wholesome content on social media but it wasn’t always this way. This change was brought about by all the tragedies, political and personal crises people see on their news feeds. The modern world is a chaotic place to live in, and these wholesome communities provide a place for people to come together for some much-needed positivity and validation in their lives. The community thrives off honesty as people open up about their depression and the ordeals they are facing because they know it’s a safe and caring space. It shows a side of the world people often tend to forget exists: compassion.
Stories of people (or pets) being united with their families, turning their lives around, supporting their friends and family and even sharing endearing moments from their favorite movies or shows can help relieve you of negative self-harming thoughts and the unpleasantness of the internet and put a wide smile on your face.
“Wholesome memes remind people that regardless of whether everything or nothing matters, you should still try to think, do, and be good or to find something funny, cute, or positive to share.” – Elle McGann
A History of Wholesome Memes
Wholesome memes didn’t garner mainstream attraction until a few years ago, when no one thought about needing a daily dose of wholesome memes in a society that revels in cynicism. It began as taking meme templates and re-contextualizing them to be loving and supportive towards others.
Tumblr began popularizing it during 2016 by modifying classic memes into expressing endearment towards their girlfriends. By the end of 2016, it began gaining traction and wholesome posting increased by 70 %. By the end of 2017, a subreddit, r/wholesomememes was created and currently stands as the major source of these memes.
In addition to that, in 2017, a Facebook page named “Wholesome Memes” popped up and gained instant success and now has over 1.6 million likes and devoted followers on Twitter. Alongside the dedicated content creators, people share these memes with each other hence further propagating it. In 2018, the number of wholesome memes being shared and discussed has increased drastically.
“Wholesome memes are the internet equivalent of getting hugged”
May it be pictures of adorable pets playing around or people falling in love or making new friends, the pure and benign content created by regular people is a constant reminder to be affectionate to both the world and yourself. Even when the world may seem cruel and unforgiving, the thought and validation that there is a group of compassionate people who genuinely care about one another gives us hope for a better future.
And as 2018 ends and 2019 begins, the new year provides a perfect opportunity to take a resolution to be more tolerant, understanding and overall better to yourself and everyone around you than last year- even if it means sharing wholesome content for the random masses on social media.