Political Meme Toolkit: Leftist Dutch Meme Makers Share Their Trade Secrets

The alt-right and their political warfare techniques have been discussed elaborately for years now, by multiple talented meme scholars. However relevant that may be, I for one think it’s important to zoom in on the tactics progressive leftist meme makers are using. In fact, the left supposedly not being able to meme has been an outdated statement for a while. Memes have great political potential for those who believe in solidarity, intersectionality, empathy, compassion, care, and revolution, and they have this for three main reasons:

1. Memes offer counter-narrative techniques

Anahita Neghabat explains in her article that was published in the first Critical Meme Reader that mainstream media regularly produce hegemonic, sexist, racist, classist or otherwise marginalizing and violent views­. They often uncritically reproduce problematic arguments, generalizations, and vocabulary in an effort to report ‘neutrally’. Therefore, memes are the perfect tool to intervene in public discourse. According to her, memes are simple enough to reach a broad audience, yet at the same time sufficiently sophisticated to stimulate critical thinking. Neghabat continues by stating that memes serve a special function for marginalized communities, because memes are characterized by their do-it-yourself-aesthetic—anyone can produce a meme with basic editing skills and internet access. Memes must therefore be understood as a tool for rejecting the logic of exclusive, elitist, top-down knowledge production commonly performed by hegemonic, established media and political institutions.

2. Memes plant dialectical seeds for change

Leftist memes have the potential to plant what I like to call ‘dialectical seeds for change’ as a culture war tactic, to slowly change dominant views and norms. In their essay ‘Rude Awakening: Memes as Dialectical Images’,1 Geert Lovink and Marc Tuters illustrate, using Walter Benjamin, how memes can be seen as dialectical images. According to them, memes can be seen as cultural negotiations that take place in the flow of everyday language, where meaning is not authoritatively established. Tutors and Lovink compare Benjamin’s metaphors on awakening, transformation, and the hope for insight with memetic processes happening right now. They state that even though memes are inherently ironic, they can also purport belief. The left is excellent at making memes that show the alternative voice within dominant oppressive discourses, in both a 'subtle and dialectical way. These are memes that make those who see them go ‘I never thought of it like that’, thus planting a seed for a change of ideology, or an awakening.

3. Memes express solidarity and stimulate unity

Neghabat states that the humor in memes made by and for the left is an intrinsic part of a collective empowerment strategy, one that builds resilience through a process of self-affirmation. She writes how humor is a deeply subjective and intimate experience; therefore, finding something funny together creates a sense of intimacy, of community—sharing one’s discomfort and dealing with negative experiences offers emotional relief and support. Sharing a meme that makes you want to laugh and cry with a fellow lefty is a feeling many of us probably recognize. However, memes do not only offer solidarity: they also unify. The left may be fragmented and critical of each other, but memes function as an active tool for unifying different communities as well.

How, then, is the perfect leftist meme constructed and distributed? I spoke to nine leftist Dutch meme makers, all of whom operate on a different spectrum of the left (from radical communism to more libertarian-leaning ideologies) and have different numbers of Instagram followers (from 400 followers to a whopping 140,000). What are their strategies and tricks? What makes a truly good leftist meme?

Elements of a Successful Political Meme

There are multiple elements that make a political meme a great political meme. @kakelversememes (minty fresh memes), one of the biggest leftist meme accounts in the Netherlands, explains that a good meme must be relevant and also contain something recognizable. If the meme is funny as well that’s just a nice bonus because, according to them, for social commentary a meme does not necessarily need a punchline. They also explain that a meme should not have too much text—something that seems hard for leftist meme creators. @linksinhetnieuws (left in the news), a meme creator who posts memes but also a lot of other types of content such as news articles, infographics, and polls, agrees on this. @gratis_saaf_voor_iedereen (free Saaf for everyone), a political researcher who is only one of two meme creators I interviewed that doesn’t meme anonymously, underlines the importance of commenting on current events. @commie____central, a communist meme maker, adds how memes that are controversial and evoke emotions usually work well. He furthermore explains that memes that hold multiple symbols—referring to different (pop culture) images, news events, specific ideologies and other memes—are the most sophisticated.

'Fig. 1: Meme by @kakelversememes. ‘We regret that our travelers are experiencing problems because of the strike. — So, you’re going to ensure a better collective labor agreement to make sure the trains run again?'

This connects to what @progressieve.plaatjes (progressive images), a collective of meme creators who are radical in ideology but try to steer clear of heated debates between communists and anarchists, have to say about navigating the tension between creating niche memes and memes that are recognizable for a wider audience. @linksinhetnieuws and @linkslibertaireplaatjes (leftist libertarian images), a collective from Belgium, both state that it’s important to drastically simplify political and ideological issues, to make sure as many people can understand them, while @progressieve.plaatjes also state that when they post a meme that’s too generic—widely understood by a large audience—they lose niche followers as well. However, they also lose followers when the memes they share are too specific.

What all meme creators have in common is that they have the capacity to think visually. Both @kakelversememes and @delinksestudent (the leftist student) explain that when they read something they want to comment on in the media, they usually instantly know what meme template would be most suitable to visualize their critique. Most meme creators use international memes and translate them into a national context from time to time or employ already existing popular formats, or just create their own. @gratis_saaf_voor_iedereen explains how, in his view, there are two kinds of memes: the classic image macro (text over image) format usually made with popular pre-existing formats, and the ‘homemade’ formats that are more experimental in nature. In this, he sees how the former is usually straightforward in its punchline, with an attempt to evoke emotions, whereas the latter is oftentimes more satirical, trying to show the absurdity of the situation it’s commenting on. Or, as @progressieve.plaatjes explain: some memes are recognizable and try to connect people with each other, while others are so absurd they only make the people who get it laugh.

'Fig. 2: Meme by @progressieve.plaatjes. Mark Rutte (Dutch prime minister): ‘People who cannot afford groceries anymore—The interests of big capital’.'

'So, a great political meme is relevant and reacts to current events, is recognizable, should not have too much text, has different layers of symbolism, evokes emotion, is controversial, and holds a balance between being interesting for an in-crowd and being accessible to a bigger audience. Humor, in all of this, is just a bonus.

Tools for Meme Production

Everyone with a decent internet connection can make a meme. The question then remains, how exactly? What tools do leftist memers use?

'Fig. 3: Meme by @gratis_saaf_voor_iedereen. Willem Alexander (king of the Netherlands) while reading the king’s speech of 2022: ‘First of all, fuck you all lol’.'

Most meme makers use meme generators (such as Memetic or Imgflip) or photo editing tools (such as Canva, InDesign, or 'even Paint) on their smartphone or laptop—or a combination of all of these. @memesvdmassa (memes of the masses), the first-ever leftist meme account in the Netherlands which is run by multiple people and connected to other accounts such as @roodememes (red memes), state that they use a meme generator for the quick and dirty memes that comment on recent events—speed being more important than aesthetics—and use Photoshop when they have more time. Some meme making apps have limitations, such as watermarks or a limited number of templates. One solution, @delinksestudent explains, is to become a paid subscriber, which allows meme makers to access new templates earlier than other admins, giving them the opportunity ‘to be the first’. Another option is to use @gratis_saaf_voor_iedereen’s tactic: according to him, memes outside of the common templates require more original thought and creativity. ‘Ironically, I’m most proud of my memes that get the least likes’, he explains. ‘I know that the recognizable memes score better because everyone recognizes that shit, but I like to be a bit avant-garde.'

Memes that are made with templates are often the quick, recognizable ones that comment on recent events, whereas memes that are made in photo editing tools are more aesthetically pleasing, original and experimental. It all depends on what a meme maker wants to achieve, and how much time they have to invest.

'Fig. 4: Meme by @commie____central. ‘Us in 2023, looking back on how all we ever wanted was humane shelter for refugees and that people were able to feed their kids’.'

Social Media Platform Tactics and Limits

After a meme is produced, meme makers share their creations in the hopes that their memes will reach as many people as possible, or, even better: that they’ll go viral. How do these meme makers navigate their content on social media, and what are the limits of trying to question power within this age of platform capitalism?

Most meme makers use Instagram to spread their memes. Generally, all memers I’ve spoken to agree on the fact that Instagram is so suitable for memes because it’s a visual platform, where it’s easy to interact with other users. @gratis_saaf_voor_iedereen adds how it’s also easier to control that interaction: ‘I delete and block a lot of Nazis that comment on my memes, because I want to create a safe space for leftist people.’ Facebook is passé, some find Twitter too toxic or too difficult to gain followers with, and some are considering TikTok, as Instagram probably awaits the same fate as Facebook—even though it would be more difficult to remain anonymous there. Curiously, none of the meme makers I talked to are active on alternative, open-source platforms, besides a few Telegram groups; they seem to be fighting capitalism from within the system.

Fig. 5: Meme by @linkslibertaireplaatjes. ‘Right-wing dipshits: Respect our norms and values. Me: Okay great, can you then also show some basic level of politeness towards minorities? Right-wing dipshits: Aaaaaah woke!’.

'Some memers see memeing as a personal tool to deal with the daily horrors of late-stage capitalism, such as @commie___central and @linksinhetnieuws, who post multiple posts and stories a day. @commie___central explains that some people find it annoying when people post all the time, but for others, this consistency is very important indeed. Other accounts, such as @progressieve.plaatjes, see how many hate comments and messages some accounts receive and try not to see memeing as a mission with structured content planning, but rather as a form of tension release. @gratis_saaf_voor_iedereen does not post something every day, or even every week—he shares memes when he has something to say. At times, he is too tired and simply does not feel like it, because the world we live in is too grim: ‘Sometimes our reality is so extreme that I find it very difficult to even apply satire to it. When people lose their right to abortion, or when a baby gets hit by a cop during a peaceful protest, is it even ethical to meme about that? And if so, how do you do that in a tasteful, respectful way?

Whereas all memers have a different frequency of posting memes on their Instagram accounts, all of them interact and engage with each other, some even collaborate together, whether they know each other in real life or not. This automatically increases their memes’ reach. As ideologies and strategies differ, some of them are comrades, some are frenemies and some of them just strongly disagree with each other. Most of them comment on and share each other’s memes, whether it’s because they agree with the message or to publicly criticize each other. Another tactic to make a meme go viral is to engage with the enemy: @delinksestudent, for example, frequently tags right-wing extremist politicians or the official account of the police, in order to get a response from them to trigger the algorithm. ‘I enjoy it when people disagree with my meme. It means I’ve accomplished 'to reach people outside of my own bubble, those that only tell me I’m right anyway.

Working with Instagram’s algorithm is something @delinksestudent does more often. He has a professional account that lets him see the statistics of the memes he shares—such as the fact that 55% of his followers are men and 45% women (even though it’s worth noting here that this percentage might look different if Instagram would have the option of tracking users outside of the gender binary). ‘The memes I make that are a bit ruder often work well with younger guys’ he continues, and ‘the memes that are content-focused attract older men. Memes about political persons are liked most by women. I try to keep a balance in these types of content.’ @politieke_jongeren (political youngsters), an account with over 140k followers that does not create memes but shares other makers’ content, claims that for organic growth it’s important to focus on the content, and not on ‘marketing tricks’. He has never done a paid partnership because he wants to remain authentic and independent, but for the right organization, he would perhaps consider it. @progressieve.plaatjes and @memesvdmassa, however, would never contemplate a partnership, as they deliberately chose not to engage in growth hacking or sponsored content. They wish to 'focus on the content, and want to protect their mental health by not obsessing over analytics.

'Fig. 6: Meme by @memesvdmassa. ‘Ignoring a transphobic campaign poster—Demolishing a transphobic campaign poster and leaving the scraps—Demolishing a transphobic campaign poster and dutifully throwing it away in a trash can afterwards—“Vandalizing” a transphobic campaign poster with pro trans-stickers’.'

Operating on Instagram, a platform that is focused on profit, naturally has its shortcomings. Openly questioning power structures on a capitalist platform that benefits from its own oppressive systems often results in forms of censorship, with accounts being shadowbanned or banned full stop. @commie____central, who once started out as @commie_central with one underscore, serves as an iconic example: he currently has an account with no less than four underscores—each new underscore stands for a new account he had to create after being banned. @kakelversememes explains that they are extremely aware of this: ‘Sometimes memes are categorized as hate speech; other times troll armies report our posts. The only way to prevent this is by posting content that is a little less radical, and to be extremely careful of how you word certain things. However, this is very difficult because the line between what is allowed and what isn’t is thin, constantly changing, differing as well per topic and per account. If you’re a politician, you’re allowed different things than if you’re a meme page.’ On top of that, @kakelversememes found out that when in 2021 the National Coordinator of Terrorist Prevention and Safety of the Netherlands started following political campaign leaders, prominent religious figures, and activists with anonymous accounts,2 they were on this list. ‘That was truly next level.

Tactical Impact

That leftist meme makers are being taken seriously by those who are in power is clear. So then, what is the actual tactical political impact of leftist political memes? Both @linksinhetnieuws and @politieke_jongeren mention that the only way they can really measure their influence is through the feedback of some of their followers. The actual change, however—the conversations their followers have while having a drink, after seeing their memes—is something they’ll never fully be able to grasp. Do these creators notice any impact of their work, and how do they actively strive for social change?

@kakelversememes explains that they don’t know whether their memes make an impact on policy, but what they do know is how one of their memes is hanging on the wall of the BIJ1 (most radical leftist Dutch party) office: ‘That I made Sylvana Simons [BIJ1 party leader and first-ever Black female party leader in the Dutch parliament] laugh definitely puts a smile on my face.’ @commie____central tells me that he’s not sure of his actual impact either, but that it has been less than he would prefer, however still more than he expected. He explains that multiple followers have told him that they started voting differently because of his memes, alongside followers becoming more active in local protests and joining political organizations. Also @linksinhetnieuws’ followers tell him that, because of him, they’ve realized D66 (a self-proclaimed centrist leftist party) is not as left-wing as they portray themselves, thus starting to vote for other parties which are further along in the leftist spectrum.

'Fig. 7: Meme by @linksinhetnieuws. ‘D66 Trade Offer. I receive: 24 seats for new leadership. You receive: [empty space].'

This is exactly what @memesvdmassa want to achieve: to radicalize people into becoming more leftist—preferably communist. For them, it’s important that memes connect people to actual organizations, protests, and events: ‘After making memes for six months, we wanted to do more. To transfer memes to the real world. So, we founded a web shop called @derodelap (the red cloth) where we sell merchandise (such as protest flags, buttons, pins, posters), political stickers that literally put memes into the streets, and books. Memes are a great way to activate leftist people who want to know more about a certain ideology.’ Consequently, @linksinhetnieuws’ followers told him that, in fact, they’ve joined unions or signed petitions because of his content. It is therefore also his hope that memes can be a gateway to political action, a tool to instigate people into doing their own critical research.

'This is @gratis_saaf_voor_iedereen’s strategy as well: ‘A meme alone is not enough; you need something activating next to it. A meme is a decoy for the in-depth content I produce as a political researcher. Whenever I post a meme before sharing a podcast I recorded, for example, that podcast gets listened to a lot more.’ This is also how @linkslibertaireplaatjes use memes— as a marketing technique to get more attention for the political activities they organize. ‘Memes travel across different places, outside of our own filter bubble, so this impacts our reach greatly, giving us the opportunity to spread our ideas more broadly.'

'Fig. 8: Meme by @delinksestudent. ‘Thanks for not explaining the entire Marxist theory to my dad when he said D66 is a left-wing party, that required self-discipline.'

@progressieve.plaatjes explain how they’ve noticed that online political content is beneficial to spreading ideas. According to them, memes have positively influenced the normalization of radical leftist ideology: ‘We’re noticing a clear shift, where memes have contributed to an environment where it’s more accepted to be an active anti-capitalist. Maybe it’s not as accepted to call yourself a communist yet, but it’s definitely more normalized to say stuff like “fuck capitalism” now. Of course, we should not stop with the influence of ideology, we also need to mobilize people and get them off their phones, and on the streets.'

And so, it remains difficult to measure political memes and their direct influence: it’s safe to say one meme will not spark an entire revolution. However, together with other influences such as more traditional forms of critical media, as well as conversations with friends, family, lovers, teachers, fellow students, or colleagues, memes can contribute to a change in ideology, one that can result in critical thinking—and ultimately, in political action.'

References

Lovink, Geert and Marc Tuters. “Rude Awakening: Memes as Dialectical Images.” Non Copyriot, April 2, 2018, https://non.copyriot.com/rude-awakening-memes-as-dialectical-images.

Neghabat, Anahita. “Ibiza Austrian Memes: Reflections on Reclaiming Political Discourse through Memes.” In Critical Meme Reader: Global Mutations of the Viral Image, edited by Chloë Arkenbout, Jack Wilson and Daniel de Zeeuw, 130-142. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures, 2021.'

NOS Nieuws. “NCTV volgde in het geheim burgers op sociale media met nepaccounts.” NOS Nieuws, April 10, 2021, https://nos.nl/artikel/2376104-nctv-volgde-in-het-geheim-burgers-op-sociale-media-met-nepaccounts.

This article was published in Critical Meme Reader II: Memetic Tacticality. Read it here: https://networkcultures.org/blog/publication/critical-meme-reader-ii-memetic-tacticality/