A Facebook page titled “UNH Memes” has gained considerable traction online, mainly by posting memes about the University that have been shared with other students.

The page was started by a University student who requested he remain anonymous, but said he genuinely loves memes. At first, he was still getting used to what was popular and liked by his audience, but says he now is more comfortable and creative with the content the page produces.
“Memes are an art form in a sense,” he said.

He started the page with a few friends earlier this year with the goal of bringing the University community together through memes.

“I wanted to bring the students together,” he said. “That one unifying thing was memes.”

The page targets, in all original content, mainly University-related humor, often self-deprecating. The admins try to keep it PG-13, recognizing that some things could cross a line. They also stay away from cultural and political issues, saying that they want to stay away from divisive content as much as possible.

The creator of the page says that the content is a way to “air grievances” about the school, citing memes that focused on Bartels, high tuition costs, and the rebranding of “UNH.”

It’s more than just posting memes, though, as the creator also emphasized the importance of timing of posts, relatability to the audience, and popularity of meme structures.

Kirk Giglio is a contributor to the page and tries to find the perfect balance between “relatable, wholesome, and edginess, where they try to capture sentiment on campus as well as expression my own feelings,” he said.

Giglio recently created a post about his disdain for group projects. All creators on the page try to find these types of content that are specifically applicable to college students.

“If I can make someone else’s day through a post about how much I hate group projects, (like my last post) then to me it’s worth it,” he said.

The new “UNH Memes” page is a resurrection of one that was popular back in 2012, with similar themes being present in the content produced. The last post on that page is dated October 17, 2014.

Pages like this have seen success at other universities. Locally, Yale University has seen two different meme groups develop, both with over 1,000 followers, and even caught the attention of a college dean, controversial pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, and famous red-sweater-wearing Ken Bone.

Although some of the content on the UNH Memes page is sharply targeted, the creator and contributors use the page as a way to bring the students of the University community together, as he said that was his main goal.

He also says that a lot of issues that students discuss on campus aren’t heard at the administration level, or students don’t feel the effects of changes that are made, which is why he believes this page serves as a voice for them.

The creator of this page isn’t new to the meme game: he also ran the meme page for his high school after it was passed down to him, something he hopes to do upon graduation.

“I think down the road that this could be a real outlet for change,” he said.