TikTok is facing a rare meme drought. Inside the Great Meme Depression of 2025

People with a healthy limit on their screen time probably haven’t noticed—but there’s been a meme shortage this March. On TikTok, some have declared a full-blown “Meme Drought,” dubbing it the “Great Meme Depression of 2025.”

The panic began on March 10, when user @goofangel posted a video titled “TikTok Great Depression March 2025.” He says, “Nine days into March and we haven’t had a single original meme.” The post quickly racked up nearly a million views and clearly struck a chord, if the comments are any indication.

“October to February was an insane run,” one commenter reminisced, recalling a time when everyone was “holding space” for “ ">Defying Gravity” and—who remembers when everyone collectively joined Red Note for a minute? “Does the millennial burger restaurant count?” another asked. “Subaru’s kinda funny, but not laughing funny, yk?” someone else added. But as @goofangel pointed out, the “I Call Patrick Subaru” meme actually originated in 2021.

The Great Meme Depression soon became a meme itself, as TikTokers flooded the platform with meta-commentary. “How the Great March Meme Drought will be described in history books,” one user posted, alongside a slideshow of images from the Great Depression circa 1929. Another creator shared a video featuring TikTok influencers’ faces captioned: “When mfs say they grew up poor but never had to live through the Great Meme Depression.”

Others joked about the surreal nature of it all. “How it feels to realize ‘The Great Meme Drought’ of March is actually a meme itself,” one added.

With the trend cycle running faster than ever, meme culture may simply be unable to keep pace. The insatiable demand for viral content has left us trapped in an algorithmic loop, now recycling the same tired material we’ve already scrolled past.

Rather than forcing it, maybe this temporary drought is a chance to pause. Set some limits on screen time—and actually stick to them. Read a book or finally watch Severance. At least until the next viral moment comes along.


https://www.fastcompany.com/91305584/great-meme-depression-explained?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss

Created 3d | Mar 26, 2025, 10:10:04 AM


Login to add comment

Other posts in this group

iMessage still lags behind its peers. 4 ways Apple should update it for iOS 19

Few apps are as inextricably linked to the iPhone as Apple’s Messages. Introduced with the original iPhone almost 18 years ago, the app (then called “Text”) has become the primar

Mar 29, 2025, 9:50:03 AM | Fast company - tech
Elon Musk’s xAI startup just bought X for $45 billion

Elon Musk said on Friday that his xAI has acquired X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter, in an all-stock transaction for $45 billion, including $12 billion in debt.

“x

Mar 29, 2025, 12:40:02 AM | Fast company - tech
Facebook’s new throwback move: a feed just for friends

Meta wants to revive Facebook’s old-school appeal by introducing a new Friends Tab, which will focus solely on posts shar

Mar 28, 2025, 7:50:09 PM | Fast company - tech
OpenAI’s Studio Ghibli-style images renew the debate Over AI and copyright

This week, the internet had a rare opportunity to transform their selfies and family photos into stunning Studio Ghibli–style portraits. What started as a lighthearted trend quickly took a darker

Mar 28, 2025, 7:50:08 PM | Fast company - tech
A Nvidia chip shortage is coming, warns major Chinese server maker

One of China’s largest server makers, H3C, has flagged potential shortages of Nvidia’s H20 chi

Mar 28, 2025, 3:20:06 PM | Fast company - tech
Why the ‘iPhone of smartwatches’ remains so elusive

Ever since it became obvious that the iPhone was one of the most transformative consumer products in history, a question has been floating out there: Would its impact ever be matched by a device i

Mar 28, 2025, 1:10:02 PM | Fast company - tech