The "Ohio meme" refers to the recent phenomenon of memes exaggerating how crazy, chaotic, and downright bizarre the state of Ohio is. From unpredictable weather to eccentric locals, Ohio is portrayed in these viral jokes as a state where anything goes.
Origins of the Ohio Meme
The Ohio meme traces its roots back to 2016, when a photo went viral on Tumblr showing a nonsensical bus stop sign that read "Ohio will be eliminated." This surreal, Dadaist humor set the stage for Ohio being seen as an unpredictable place subject to absurd events.
The photo received over 119,000 likes on Tumblr, indicating the early viral interest in positioning Ohio as a hub of randomness.
As a social media marketing expert, I recognize the "too strange to be true" quality of this image as an early example of viral bait. Its absurdity ticks all the boxes for resonating across the internet.
In 2020, the meme evolved with the creation of the "Wait, It‘s All Ohio? Always Has Been" template. This features two astronauts in space, one shocked to learn that everything is Ohio, with the other astronaut pointing a gun in response. The strangeness of the premise resonated with the internet‘s view of Ohio as a meme-worthy state.
This meme template introduced more participatory and shareable humor while carrying on the "Ohio is endless and all-encompassing" joke.
Evolution on TikTok
In 2022, the Ohio meme exploded in popularity on TikTok. Creators began posting videos using the format "Can‘t even X in Ohio," depicting ridiculous and exaggerated scenarios happening to people in Ohio.
The viral potential of this format capitalizes on TikTok‘s quick-hit, sketch comedy style. As an expert in viral content, I recognize its balance of relatability and absurdity as the perfect combo for generating views, shares, and imitation.
One viral TikTok with 27.7 million views shows a man swimming in a pool when a shark suddenly attacks him. The text reads "Can‘t even swim in Ohio."
Another with nearly 10 million views shows a sleeping man getting hit by a plank and having a watermelon fall on his head in his already flooded room. "Can‘t even sleep in Ohio," the caption says.
The rapid proliferation of these videos establishes the "Can‘t even X in Ohio" construction as a successful meme format. This simple phrasing allows endless scenarios to be spun off, fueling the meme‘s spread.
TikTok Ohio Meme Statistics
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Over 9 billion views for #OhioMeme hashtag
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Over 270,000 videos using "Can‘t even X in Ohio" template
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Top videos received 20-30 million views and over 1 million likes
Themes and Meaning
At its core, the Ohio meme plays with the idea that Ohio is an unpredictable and even dangerous place, where chaos reigns and anything can happen at any time. It thrives on hyperbole, amplifying benign quirks and stereotypes about Ohio and the Midwest to absurd degrees for comedic effect.
As a Midwesterner myself, I appreciate how the meme taps into the mystique surrounding flyover country. The juxtaposition of Ohio‘s placid landscape and reputation for normalcy with these outrageous scenarios heightens the comedic effect.
Interestingly, the Ohio meme directly contradicts older stereotypes of the Midwest being simple and boring. It proves that modern internet culture can rapidly construct new perceptions of a place.
Some Ohioans lean into the joke, embracing the meme as exaggerated but reflective of the state‘s quirky charms. Others take offense, seeing it as reducing Ohio to a backwards caricature.
Either way, the meme has introduced Ohio‘s particular brand of absurdist, self-deprecating humor to the world.
Viral Examples
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The "Can‘t Even Swim in Ohio" TikTok showing a man getting attacked by a shark in a pool – 27.7 million views
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The "Can‘t Even Sleep in Ohio" TikTok where a sleeping man gets hit by a plank and watermelon in his flooded room – 980k likes
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The original "Ohio will be eliminated" bus stop sign photo – 119k likes on Tumblr
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The "It‘s All Ohio" astronaut meme templates exaggerating Ohio‘s vastness
The Legacy
While exaggerated and satirical, the Ohio meme reveals how places gain reputations on the internet that then spread into broader consciousness. For better or worse, the notion of Ohio being an unpredictable place of endless absurdity has now been engraved online.
As a social media marketing pro, I predict that the Ohio meme will continue evolving across platforms as creators play with its absurd premise. While eventual backlash is inevitable, the meme‘s inherent sarcasm provides enough ironic detachment to sustain its lifespan.
In the end, the Ohio meme shows how the internet allows regional stereotypes to be amplified and distorted through collective creative irony. Ohio just happened to be in the right place at the right time to become the internet‘s favorite Midwest whipping boy and launchpad for viral absurdist humor.
