“Yo, did you see that new meme on TikTok?” “Have you seen that post on Twitter (Currently called X)?” “Bro did you know that when you buy a property in Egypt, what they do for you is they give you the property?”

I wouldn’t blame you for having no idea what I’m talking about with that last one. Internet memes and viral content are everywhere nowadays, to the point that it often influences the speech of those around us.

If you’re not aware of the latest and greatest as far as current memes, I’m certain you can think back to a meme or two from when you were younger. Gangnam Style, “One does not simply,” nyan cat and other memes were everywhere in the 2000s and 2010s.

Didn’t those memes back in the day last longer? Like the “troll face” and Fry from Futarama saying “take my money” were around forever, right? That’s what it felt like at least to me.

“It was like 5-6 years ago when memes used to last months if not years,” Francis Musso, a psychology major, said.

That’s not to say there are no recent memes that have had more lasting power. Memes like the “Hawk Tuah” girl, “Skibidi Toilet,” or even the “oo ii ii aa ii” cat have been global phenomenons that have launched entire careers and changed lives.

Personally, I’ve also found it a bit harder to sit down and consume longer form content like movies when I can instead scroll through tens or hundreds of TikToks in the same amount of time.

I’m a fully-fledged adult at my big age of 27 and I’ve definitely experienced firsthand how it affects my younger classmates in college. Everyday after class they’re throwing out meme after meme in casual conversation, to the point where it’s not even a reference it’s just the norm for them.

I’ve even seen some of them watch videos with titles like “top 10 brainrot quiz” and they’ll be totally invested in it.

Robin Musso, a pre-allied health major, said that while they didn’t feel like their attention span had personally been affected, they have two younger cousins who can’t stay focused.

“Because of how I engage online I’m generally a lot slower to trends. Topics hold my interest for a long time,” Musso said.

I don’t really find too much to dislike with this whole situation. Memes have always been bottom-feeder type content and the frequency and speed of them doesn’t really affect my enjoyment of them. I still think they’re funny, people are still enjoying them and far be it from me to criticize the preferences of younger generations and turn into the “old person yells at cloud” meme.

And for the record, I can’t even explain that “when you buy a property in Egypt” meme fully, I just know that I find it hilarious for some reason. Give it a look if you don’t mind losing a braincell or two.