Microplastics

Submission 18,300

About

Microplastics is a term used for pieces of plastic that have been broken down into such tiny pieces from plastic waste (like water bottles, straws, synthetic clothing, etc.) that they can be ingested unknowingly by animals and humans alike. Although the concept of microplastics had been discussed within academic, environmental science discourse since the 1990s, mass awareness and concern about the issue wasn't prevalent online until, most notably, December 2016 on social media sites like Facebook. Memes about microplastics didn't emerge until mid-2019, however, as a result of the awareness of their abundance within human bodies, typically as reactions to viral news stories.

Background

In late 2016, awareness surrounding microplastics was becoming more prevalent online. For instance, on December 8th, 2016, Facebook pages like Plastic Change International^[1] went viral on the platform for sharing videos and a write-up about microplastic pollution off the coast of Hawaii. The video (shown below) went viral for the optics of the small microplastics that accumulated in the scientist's pan (a visual theme about microplastics that would resurface in the years following). The Facebook post received roughly 18,000 reactions over the course of five years.

Microplastics received more attention at the end of 2018 when they were first discovered in the guts of human beings.^[2] Another highly trafficked microplastics article was published by CNN^[3] on December 5th, 2018, titled, "Microplastics found in gut of every sea turtle in new study." The eye-catching headline accumulated roughly 4,600 reactions when posted to Facebook^[4] by CNN on December 9th, 2018.

Online Presence

Although memes^[5] were made from the above awareness about sea creatures suffering from microplastics, it wasn't until mid-2019 that memes mentioning microplastics surfaced online. These first microplastics memes were inspired by a story about an Irish teenager who won a global science award for removing microplastics from water. An article about it written by The Journal^[6] was posted to Facebook^[7] on July 31st, 2019, by the page Unify where it received roughly 10,000 reactions over two years.

The above news story inspired the first-known microplastics meme online, posted to the /r/HydroHomies^[8] subreddit by Redditor maxncharlie on August 1st, 2019. The meme (shown below) used a wholesome format and received 307 upvotes in six months.

More memes about microplastics continued to appear in 2021. For instance, Instagram^[11] account @lackinhumor posted a meme (shown below) that used a Thanos template. The meme amassed roughly 63,500 likes over the course of 11 months.

In August 2021, more awareness within memes about humans eating microplastics unknowingly started appearing online after The Hill tweeted^[9] a link to an article about how humans eat microplastics every day. A quote tweet from Twitter user @derekdirge (since deleted) started circulating online as its own image macro. For instance, Instagram^[10] account @hoebitchness posted a screenshot of it (shown below) on October 13th, 2021, that received roughly 48,100 likes over two months.

Going into the remainder of 2021, microplastic memes started appearing in more abundance across various platforms. Most memes related to the topic revolved around humans consuming microplastics in their foods and water and the phrase, "Microplastics in Everything."

Microplastics Found In Humans

On March 24th, 2022, Dutch researchers discovered microplastics in human blood.^[12] Published as a peer-reviewed study in Environment International, the researchers reported traces of microplastics found in the human blood of 17 out of 22 volunteers. The news was shared on social media on the same day. For instance, the Instagram^[13] page pubity posted an infographic that earned roughly 419,000 likes in two weeks (shown below).

A resurgence in microplastic memes appeared on social media following the discovery. For instance, on March 25th, Instagram^[14] page deleuzean_thembo posted a meme that captioned an image of Drake with, "drinking microplastics flavored thick water (it's like boba tea)," earning roughly 1,200 likes in two weeks (shown below, left). On April 2nd, Twitter^[15] user pollen196 captioned an image of Donkey from Shrek with, "Tapeworms watching the microplastics fall into my stomach," earning roughly 3,700 likes (shown below, right).

On April 6th, 2022, the University of Hull and Hull York Medical School found microplastics in a human lung for the first time ever,^[16] snowballing the virality of the topic by affirming new evidence. More microplastic memes and tweets surfaced following the update and new tropes began to evolve. For instance, users started labeling foods with sprinkles as being "microplastic food," in reference to microplastics' resemblance to rainbow sprinkles. As an example, Twitter^[17] user BenJavertComedy tweeted a photo of a New Zealand dessert, earning roughly 21,800 likes in five days (shown below).

Macroplastics

Another variation of microplastic memes that emerged in April 2022 was creators referencing "macroplastics," being the opposite of microplastics in that they are large instead of small. Even though April 2022 is when "macroplastics" were referenced most, one of the first references was made on June 28th, 2016, when Twitter^[18] user dvm_uvm tweeted a fish with a large piece of plastic in it, earning 32 likes and 35 retweets in six years (shown below, left). In a more meme-based context, Twitter^[19] user NotABigJerk posted a humorous tweet that earned over 100 likes in two years, being one of the first funny tweets to reference "macroplastics" (shown below, right).

As stated, memes referencing "macroplastics" appeared en masse in April 2022. For instance, on April 4th, Twitter^[20] user MNateShyamalan tweeted, "enough about microplastics. wanna try some macroplastics. i’m eating a frisbee," earning roughly 62,600 likes in nine days (shown below, left). On April 11th, Instagram^[21] page boomer.jim shared a meme of a cat with supposed macroplastics inside it, earning roughly 10,400 likes in one day (shown below, right),