Pinoy Memes – It’s More Fun in the Philippines

The Philippines is already known as the Facebook and texting capital of the world. Lately, it seems that Pinoy humor has evolved technologically through internet memes, memes being the word used to describe concepts that spread via the internet. Usually these “memes involve a variety of avid and seasoned internet users who add their own humorous interpretations to current events that lend themselves to satirical humor and the like.”

Should you be an active user of Facebook, you would have probably noticed that there always seems to be a new “flavor of the month” when it comes to memes. The power of memes is that they entice participants to get interactively involved. Anyone who has a funny idea or witty tagline and access to the internet can join in the fun and entertainment.

Anything and everything happening in the country – from local showbiz to current affairs – becomes a potential subject of Pinoy humor. From the Corona  Impeachment to Manny Pacquaio’s latest fight, to American Idol contestant Jessica Sanchez’s second place finish, to Mon Tulfo’s airport adventures, everything is fair game.

So, in order to keep everyone “up to speed” with the internet’s current trending, here’s a look at three of the most popular memes that have made the rounds in recent cyberspace history.

It’s More Fun in the Philippines

The Department of Tourism (DOT) tagline “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” is one of the best examples of the popularity of memes in the country. The slogan created for the DOTC by advertising firm BBDO Guerrero/Proximity Philippines harnesses and addresses the Filipino’s innate sense of humor as well as Pinoy pride. According to DOT Secretary Ramon “Mon” Jimenez Jr., the slogan answered the fundamental question, “Why the Philippines?”

Shortly after the slogan was revealed, social networking sites were flooded with netizens’ contributions to what they thought makes the Philippines “more fun.” Everything about Philippine culture was highlighted. Images of Bayanihan with the witty line “change of address,” sabong or cockfight (Angry Birds”), Lechon (Planking) and swimming with whale sharks (hitching a ride) quickly went viral. The photos spread like wildfire and to this day, the best of these are still shared online and used by the DOT itself in their campaign efforts. A compilation of user generated contributions can be found on the website www.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com.

Anyone can make their own “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” meme by uploading a photo and inserting a witty line of why the Philippines is more fun at www.morefunmaker.com

Batangas Hollywood Sign

And the image of a Hollywood-style sign in gigantic white letters spelling Batangas in front of the famous Taal Volcano sparked a wave of digitally manipulated photos mocking the idea of the proposed sign.

Pictures of familiar landscapes such as the chocolate hills of Bohol, Banaue Rice Terraces, and Mayon Volcano in Albay bears similar signs of their names in large white letters spread online. In one photo, all of the Hundred Islands in Pangasinan where numbered and named similarly.

Though the plans to put the Hollywood-like sign were eventually scrapped due to the online mockery, spoofing the idea proved to be very popular online for a while. A collection of Philippine landscapes with signs can be viewed on the Facebook fan page: Hollywood Pilipinas: www.facebook.com/hollywoodpilipinas

The Great DPWH photoshop Meme

Who can forget the badly manipulated photo of three officials of the Department of Public Work and Highways (DPWH) seemingly floating while conducting an inspection along Manila bay? After typhoon Pedring hit the country, the photo of the three officials “deep in conversation” in front of a damaged Manila Bay seawall appeared online. The Photoshop fiasco was first pointed out on the blog Controlled Chaos (Quiapo.wordpress.com), and quickly went viral on Facebook.

The officials suddenly started appearing in the strangest places – including behind the Beatles crossing Abbey Road, on the moon, talking to the pope, and even in a rendition of the popular cartoon series “The Simpsons.” The meme became so popular that it was even picked up by international media from The Washington Post. A collection of photos of the officials can be seen in Facebook fan page “DPWHERE?” which has over 7,000 fans on Facebook.

These are just a few of the many memes that have made waves online. What with Filipinos‘ rabid use of social networking sites like Facebook, no doubt many more humorous memes will be made, posted, shared, liked and tweeted for years to come. More Fun in the Philippines!

Article source: enrich magazine 9/12