On the Meme Train to Sylt: Memetic Becoming and Ambivalent Identification Online

In June 2022, the German government implemented a transit policy offering travelers an unlimited ticket to ride the country’s regional train system all summer long for a mere 9€. Conservative pundits and commentators decried the policy, worrying that the rabble would use their 9€ tickets to overwhelm posh tourist destinations like the island of Sylt in the North of Germany. An overwhelming invasion never materialized, but a fair share of raucous punks did set up shop in Sylt’s public squares in the days after the ticket became available. Just as significant as the physical “invasion” of Sylt were the flurry of memes produced surrounding the Sylt controversy. Through memes, social media participants simultaneously mocked conservative worry about Sylt and punk presence on Sylt. All this memetic play inspired participants to become. Through a mix of identification and disidentification, memes hailed participants into political stances characterized by specific modes of expression. Sylt memery was lulzy, agonistic, and ephemeral. In other words, it was indicative of the broader ambivalence that characterizes public participation inflected by the internet culture. The Sylt story therefore holds lessons about the potentials and pitfalls of collective expression on social media. Memetic becoming, at best, can help people speak truth to power. At worst, it can inspire only a nihilistic smirk as the pixels speed across the screen.