Saving the Planet, One “Green Meme” At a Time

A new green trend hits the widely popular social networking platform TikTok with memes focusing on environmental issues that younger generations share abundantly, spreading information that could help save the planet.

“Often, the most visible thing is the meme,” says An Xiao Mina, author of the book Memes to Movements. “What may not be apparent is the networks that are being built, the narratives being shaped and the organizational structures that ultimately might help us yield effective change.”

According to a recent survey, the main concern of Millennials and Generation Z – the latter accounting for 60% of TikTok users – are climate change and the environment, so it is not surprising that memes about soil restoration, biodiversity, and monoculture are trending and shared at a fast pace, as are ones on indigenous practices and mass extinctions. So far, the “grass TikTok” subculture has gathered some 380 million views. “Seeing [memes] and talking about them with my friends has definitely impacted us and made us want to look more into it,” says Young-Woong Kee, 16, a keen follower of biodiversity TikToks.