Relatable memes that bring students in Lund close to each other, but definitely not so close that Vildanden seems just nearby. Gustav Christensson, the medical student behind the popular meme page Lund’s Memeversity, shares his thoughts with me about how it feels to run a page with nearly ten thousand likes on Facebook.
Hi Gustav! How did you come up with the idea of a meme page for students in Lund?
It was actually just before the first exam in October last year that I came up with the idea of a meme page. To relieve my classmates’ “exam-anxiety” I started sending some memes about the course content to some group chats, and I got many cheerful reactions. After a while, I realized I couldn’t continue spamming the group chats, so I decided to create a Facebook page to keep track of all memes instead. In the beginning, it was mostly medical memes. But I changed my mind as soon as I realized how many meme-addicted students there are in Lund!
How does it feel to run a meme page and what opportunities has it given you?
Managing a meme page has been, and still is, both challenging and fun. It’s challenging to decide what is acceptable to publish, and one must be ready to receive critical feedback from followers. However, it does give me a chance to entertain students, as well as to advertise Lund’s student life online. In addition to that, the page has given me the chance to meet new people, from happy master students to the Vice President of LUS (the umbrella organization for the nine student unions in Lund)! But the page is of course destined for the students in Lund, not for myself – it’s thanks to them we came this far!
Your page has nearly 10 000 likes, what do you think is behind this success?
I could explain the page’s success with three reasons. Firstly, the page is very active: since October I have published approximately 1 500 memes (in other words: about one meme every two hours). Secondly, I’ve kept my posts centered around things that students can relate to, such as late-night falafel, Wednesday queues at VGs, bicycle rides to Vildanden and battles for the group rooms at LUX. Thirdly, I have several fans tagging their mates, which draws in more and more students – even from other cities than Lund.
What would you say is the best thing about running the page Lund´s Memeversity? How much time does it take?
The best thing about it is reading all the comments that the pictures receive. To see how my own memes make my followers laugh makes me really happy (and getting recognized at clubs is at least as fun). However, it is a demanding job… Running the page at this intensity requires about 4-5 hours per week, which means about five minutes per meme. Then again, a lot of time is just checking the page to interact with my “fans” and to see how they react.
People can send their own memes to you! Can you tell me your best tips for them to get published?
Of course everyone can send memes to me, and I publish most of them! I have no requirements or tips; if they make me laugh they will clearly be published!
What kind of memes would you say are most successful? Have you seen any patterns?
Except for the “Lundafalafel” theme, it’s difficult to know in advance what memes will break through, but I know that memes about Swedish food culture, LADOK-anxiety, and Valborg usually get more than 500 likes.
You just had a bicycle event a couple of days ago! How was it?
The bike-event was an attempt to record a tribute film to my fans and to Lund’s student life, but it didn’t turn out very well. Many seem to like my page for the memes, but to step forward in reality is another thing. Also, the event was scheduled during exam period and Carnival preparations, so one cannot expect too much. I will continue to look for fans who want to participate in the movie!
Do you have any more plans for your page?
My goal for the page is to reach 10,000 likes before the summer holiday, and then to take a pleasant vacation with my family. But I hope to continue running the page in September again. I have two purposes that I will always stick to: to provide the students in Lund with amusing memes and to promote the events within Lund’s student life. Carnival or not, summer or autumn, exam period or Valborg, these goals will always be relevant – and the memes will always keep flowing!
