Why the USC Memes Page is So Iconic

By Terry Nguyen ‘20

What do you meme you haven’t heard of USC’s meme page? For the latest college trend this past semester, students are turning to a new fascination within internet culture: college-related memes featured on Facebook meme “pages” within a university subculture. As meme culture continues to grow in popularity, college campuses are adopting their own, specific brands of humor. USC is no exception. USC’s page, titled USC Memes for Spoiled Pre-Teens, takes its name inspiration from UC Berkeley’s — UC Berkeley Memes for Edgy Teens. UCLA consequently named its group UCLA Memes for Sick AF Tweens, but the Trojan meme-makers would like to believe pre-teens are arguably cooler than “sick af” tweens.

But the real question is: what makes USC’s meme page so iconic? An average USC student’s humor consists of more than simply bagging on UCLA students; it’s a combination of poorly Photoshopped Nikias memes, the slow burn torture of rising tuition, and the strange neo-Gothic pointy structures that guard USC’s gates.

In recent months, the page has gained traction through the increasing popularity and relatability in its posts. Although USC’s page is nowhere near UC Berkeley’s notoriety (UC Berkeley currently has over 69,000 members within its page, which surpasses the number of its fall enrollment for undergraduate and graduate students), there is unique charm in its memes. The memes represent diverse aspects of student life, a factor missing in various other college meme pages: USC students unite in their housing struggles while celebrating in the Trojan’s sports accomplishments.

Since the Rose Bowl, the meme page has arguably improved in its content as more and more students are contributing to the phenomenon. The page’s activity levels have skyrocketed since before winter break, where memes were rarely exceeding 100 likes. As of March 8, there are also over 9,000 members added in the page. Originally, many memes posted related to the freshmen lifestyle, and there originated a comment that said, “Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day, great memes pages weren’t either,” on one of the first memes that addressed this topic.

The meme was made by Erika Lee, a moderator on the page and also a frequent contributor. Although Lee was not the founder of the memes page, she wanted to expand the relatability of its content to other Trojans. “I wanted to change that by making memes about USC that all the student body could relate to, as well as tie them into current events like Trump’s inauguration, the executive orders, and relevant aspects of pop culture,” she said.

Although it’s questionable if Rome was built over a period of two months, but since early February, USC’s memes began gaining quickly over 500 likes. The most popular meme as of early March was dropped by John Lynch, one of the page’s administrators, in regards to Greek life — a topic that has been heavily explored in the UC Berkeley and UCLA meme pages. Lynch’s post was an image of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, satirizing their mission statement on diversity through a snarky comment that addresses their “diverse” blonde tones.

Nevertheless, the USC Memes for Spoiled Pre-Teens is a relatable space for many Trojans to spend their time on. Instead of creating memes satirizing specific student groups (UC Berkeley’s EECs/HAAS majors and UCLA’s North/South campus), USC unites in its love for President Nikias’ pointy architectural structures. Although there has been an increasing number of memes focused on the Greek community, the page remains largely inclusive to all students in its strange, quirky humor. It takes a Trojan to know a Trojan, and perhaps, that is what makes USC Memes for Spoiled Pre-Teens so iconic.

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