Figure 1: a logical (though heavily sarcastic) progression of insightful thought, exemplified by increasing brain size. Image by Rezzy Red Proletariat Memes via Facebook.
Logos is an appeal to reason, logic, and/or rationality––it is a common underlying theme in modern media, which so often attempts to convince us to “live smarter” (accomplishable by keeping our lives in tandem with a long list of highly specialized commercial products). The “why WOULDN’T you do it the RIGHT way, the SMART way?” argument is frequently employed (whether overtly or subtly) to make us feel inept and inadequate; some of us meekly alter our conduct with our tails between our legs, thinking, “well…I don’t want to seem dumb…” Peer pressure doesn’t evaporate after high school––it can be a very effective method of persuasion.
Figure 2: a reversal of logic; it is obviously more rational to finish projects than to sit around thinking about them, but the meme derives its comedic value from this irony. Image by Know Your Meme via Intelligencer.
Logos is also a prevalent comedic element in popular culture, as is exhibited in the “Galaxy Brain” meme in Figure 1. The template demonstrates varying levels of intellectual prowess, corresponding with the ascending size of the brain. Figure 1 sarcastically exemplifies such positive correlation between pictured brain size and desirable rational conclusion. The image of a larger, more omniscient brain does not always correspond to a more “intelligent” take on an issue, however; internet users will often reverse the logical order for comedic purposes, as is depicted in Figure 2.
Figure 3: a nonsensical take on the “Galaxy Brain” format, deriving its comedic value from its absurdity. Image by Ryan Creamer via College Humor.
The “Galaxy Brain” meme is frequently convoluted by colloquialisms and generational jokes, dissociating from grammatical/linguistic norms to such an extent that sometimes the viewer finds themselves laughing only because they know they are expected to. Figure 3 features a language devolvement that is really here nor there in terms of correspondence with the brain images, but is humorous all the same because the viewer is aware that it is a meme and has been conditioned to derive amusement from its absurdity. There is a veritable goldmine of information on generational humor to be found in memes; they reveal a lot about the evolution of modern communication, and how, exactly, social sharing technology shapes our senses of humor.