A MEME-MAZING JOB

Well, when Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan can promote his film Hindi Medium through some of the most viral memes on social media, it is not too tough to believe that many in the country are earning a good livelihood through making memes.

TALENT TRUMPS QUALIFICATION

While Shivansh feels lucky to be in a job in which “life is easy” and there’s no work stress, 23year-old Ludhiana-based Ajay Sharma, admin of page “@insta_desii” on Instagram (1.1 million followers), feels being a meme-maker has helped him earn quick “name and fame”.

He feels this career option offers an open platform to those with talent but no educational qualifications that most mainstream professions demand. “People used to undermine my capabilities because I only had a diploma. I wanted to prove all of them wrong with my wit and humour,” says Ajay, who handles four other pages on Instagram: “@Cutest_conversations” (942k followers); “@Chaai_garam” (440k followers); “@Thegymquotesntips” (173k followers) and “@Just_insta_thoughts” (110k followers).

Apart from earning enough to enjoy a lifestyle he had aspired to, being a meme-maker has also helped Ajay become popular and earn a fan following. “It’s actually surprising that people know me now. Often someone approaches me and asks, ‘Are you the instadesi guy?’ It is so gratifying to know that people appreciate my hard work. Also, my parents, who were earlier very skeptical about what I was doing, are now proud of me,” he says.

Mumbai-based Manthan Doshi, 23, is the admin of pages “@daily_over_dose” and “after.effects”. A college dropout, Manthan earns a living through meme-making, but he feels better communication skills would have given him an edge in the profession.

“My lack of communication skills has hampered my growth as a meme-maker. At times when I am negotiating with clients for payment, I feel I could have got a better deal for my sense of humour if only I could communicate better. I need to work on it.”

KEEPING PACE WITH TRENDS 24X7

Fun might be the core of the work, but the job is not quite the lark. Being a meme-maker needs one to post timely memes that reflect ongoing trends. New meme trends become almost an overnight rage on the internet — like Irrfan Khan’s memes or the popular Aunty Gormint memes. Mememakers need to keep pace with the ever changing trends.

“It is very challenging to cope with meme trends that sometimes change every 24 hours. There are new meme concepts and new templates emerging every day. For instance, Irrfan Khan and Dhinchak Pooja memes are the current rage. So making memes with these changing trends is one of the most challenging aspects of the job. A meme with a four or five day old template has very less chances of going viral,” says Ahmedabad-based Harsh Bhadresa, the admin of “@just.indian.things” (1 million followers).

He adds that the job requires a fair bit of research on a daily basis. “It doesn’t make sense to post memes on a trend that is already viral. Creating trends that attract people’s attention is what is going to help a page or a brand go viral,” says 22-year-old Harsh.

Memes today — apart from “trending” on social media — are also used actively for digital marketing by companies and organisations. Advertising through creative and engaging content helps brands in effective promotions and also helps get a wider reach. Popular instances include Hyundai’s recent marketing campaign featuring Mallika Dua, Vipul Goyal and Amit Tandon, Gucci’s campaign for its latest collection of watches, and group chat application HipChat which launched a meme-inspired billboard in San Francisco.

“You need to put a lot of effort into every meme for people to even ‘like’ your post. You need to have an idea about the background of the meme and reasons for its popularity. It’s

difficult in the beginning but one gets used to it after understanding how they work,” he says.

BACKUP PLAN

Being a meme-maker helped Harsh learn the basics of graphic and user interface and user experience (UI/UX) designing alongside honing his command on English and learning how Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) works. But he feels it is wise to have a professional Plan B, given the uncertainties of the meme-making career. “Currently, mememaking as a profession has a lot of scope in India because there’s less competition and good money. That’s why many youngsters are getting into it. But Internet is a risky place and we can’t be sure if memes as a trend will continue for long,” he says. Raj Rames Jain, the 19-year-old admin of pages “@Indian_shit”, “@jeejaji” and “@cricposts” agrees. Currently pursuing his Bachelors in Dental Surgery from Mumbai, Raj says that even though he is earning good money through his pages, he is going to pursue his studies for a secure future. “I devote around three hours every day to posting memes on my page. Now we are also planning to launch a YouTube page by collaborating with viners. We have got together a team of seven people who will help in expanding our page, so that they can work on the expansion and I can concentrate on my studies as well. But meme-making is something that I’m interested in and have earned success in within a short period of time, so I will never leave it,” says Raj. No social platform lasts forever, reminds Shivansh, adding that relying only on meme-making can be risky. “I am now looking forward to moving to Delhi and starting an e-commerce website to sell my clients’ products through it. I want to utilise the audience on my page in a more effective way,” says Shivansh, adding that even if meme-making doesn’t last forever, one can use their audience on other new social platforms and utilise them differently.

After we got a few lakh followers, we started getting approached for brand promotions and advertisements — SHIVANSH SHARMA

I devote around three hours every day to posting memes on my page — RAJ RAMES JAIN

Currently, meme-making has a lot of scope in India because there’s less competition and good money. But Internet is a risky place and we can’t be sure if memes as a trend will continue for long HARSH BHADRESA