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Most of the ‘positivity’ content online is cute animals and people in tragic situations receiving help from strangers. Which is nice, but not particularly inspiring. But a new meme is bringing a surprising amount of hope and optimism to online spaces: the ‘Indomitable Human Spirit’. Even though the trend feels like it’s from an earlier Internet era (the soundtrack is a Coldplay song from 2008), it couldn’t be more crucial for the moment the world finds itself in right now. Here’s why.
What is the Indomitable Human Spirit meme?
On TikTok, videos and image slideshows present examples of an individual persevering – and even triumphing – against the odds. The hero who insists on keeping up the fight is labeled “the indomitable human spirit”; the antagonist or immense challenge that faces them is labeled “the indifferent cruelty of the universe”.
The visuals are usually scenes from movies or TV shows (Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Marvel and anime characters are common references); frames from web comics; or users sharing their own personal experience. Most of the indomitable human spirit memes are laid over a sped up version of Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’ or Hopes and Dreams by video game developer and composer Toby Fox.
According to Know Your Meme, the indomitable human spirit started spreading in July 2022, and seems largely driven by the TikTok photoswipe feature launched in April. (Yes, it’s basically an Instagram-style photo carousel because all apps are converging).
Regardless of format, the overarching spirit of the trend is its message: no matter how dire and pointless things seem, either in your own personal circumstances or the world at large, it is human nature to keep trying for something better. The progress is the point, not necessarily a victorious outcome.
Why are you writing about this niche meme?
Like other Internet moments we’ve covered (Soft Living, Bimboism, Mid-Size Influencers), the indomitable human spirit meme speaks to bigger movements and social trends happening in the offline world.
First, the obvious. The internet can be an incredibly negative place – or at least, a place that amplifies the negativity, cynicism and hostility that exists in society. Lots of trend ‘moments’ that develop online are equally cynical and dismissively ironic. Their popularity is fuelled by the experiences young people are having in the real world: growing nihilism, loneliness and poor mental health.
It’s refreshing to see a meme that is explicitly and unapologetically optimistic.
It’s also important to note that the majority of users making and sharing indomitable human spirit memes are men. Men are facing acute mental health challenges, and getting a dose of uplifting content into their feeds can help. At the very least, it’s a positive counterpoint to the toxic masculinity rants of creators like Andrew Tate and the ironic-comedy-to-alt-right pipeline (see: irony poisoning).
Interrupting a stream of negativity – whether it’s a thought spiral or doomscrolling online – with something positive or helpful is an important mental health tool. One example is the use of AI for suicide prevention outreach based on a person’s online activity; the digital rest stop trend is another.
Indomitable human spirit videos and galleries seem to be serving a similar function, with young men already posting about how the trend is unironically helping their mental health. TikTok user jackreigh says it has “normalised the fact that taking care of your mental health isn’t feminine or weak or stupid. It’s human. And necessary”.
That’s good for the young men finding healing in the content, and also for wider society. The fewer men finding their way into the so-called ‘manosphere’, the better and safer everyone else will be.
But indomitable human spirit memes are not perfect, nor a complete solution to the challenges facing people online. A lot of the examples come from fictional characters and stories, which of course don’t account for the pressures and relentlessness of the real world. They’ve been created to win; the memes can be naive.
They also tend to put the focus on the individual. The memes usually glorify the persistence of a single hero, or sometimes a small group. Taking an individualistic approach to mental health, systemic issues, or even just your own problems can be an isolating experience. It doesn’t explicitly encourage people to ask for help or find community, which is at the root of many challenges we face in modern life.
But still, some positivity online is better than none!
This trend is essential for the moment we’re in
The indomitable human spirit meme might be a bit cheesy and probably won’t last very long. But I’d argue the underlying message is essential for the moment we’re in right now.
Tapping into the optimism and willpower that this content celebrates, and using it to guide people into community-based movements could be so powerful. That sheer determination and collective action is the reason for every historical change that humans have pushed for. And that same collective, dogged persistence is what we need to tackle the immense challenges facing society right now: climate crisis, fairer economic systems, strengthening democracy, and the mental health epidemic.
Refusing to give into climate doomism is the indomitable human spirit. It is evident in the flurry of union activity, as workers fight for better treatment by the world’s biggest corporations.
Hope is essential to progress. We will not be able to ‘get there’ without optimism and grit. And that is what the indomitable human spirit memes encapsulate in clips and galleries. It just needs a little less focus on the individual, and a little more on the power of determined, collective action.
So yeah, this is just a kind of niche online trend that may just be fleeting. But memes can have transformative power. They are a core part of how we tell stories about what’s happening now that will directly inform how those stories are remembered and interpreted in future. It’s not nothing. And I’m glad to see it.
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