Pandemic spawned ‘You’re on mute’

“You’re on mute.”

In the age of Zoom meetings, this phrase has become a part of pop culture.

The pandemic brought other new phenomena:

• Facebook memes about toilet paper shortages

• Zoombombing

• Jokes about pandemic hair. Shared experiences over the past year led to these new phrases that gave everyone a way to connect, said Erin Meyers, associate professor of communication at Oakland University, with an emphasis on media and pop culture.

Phrases that gave everyone a good laugh in 2020 are going to stick around in the new year.

“I don’t think Zoom is going anywhere,” Meyers said.

The most interesting thing about pop culture is that it’s created by everyday people, she said.

“Pop culture typically comes from the bottom up,” Meyers said. “It’s not like NBC or Warner Brothers says this is the new funny thing.”

There were Zoom baby showers and birthday parties, drivein campaign rallies and graduation ceremonies, and remote classrooms.

Something new will give everyone something to talk about in the new year.

“It will morph and change, which is what pop culture always does,” Meyers said.