By: Tatiana Woodside
Recently, I saw a TikTok from Ssanyu Lukoma, who goes by “ssanyuspeaks” on the platform. She is a journalism student at Howard University and is cautioning people to be aware of anchor bias. Anchor bias is a cognitive bias that affects how people perceive information after their first impression: the anchor. In Ssanyu’s video, she discusses how anchor bias has affected people’s views on social and political topics, including, but not limited to, the murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement, and others. I wholeheartedly agree with this take. I mean, bias is in our nature as humans. Many people are taught from a young age that first impressions are important.
But in an age where so many people rely on social media for their news, are we seeing anchor bias in the form of “meme-fying” our content?
Sometimes, people’s introduction to a piece of information is in the form of a meme. Let’s take a look at a somewhat unserious subject: CupcakKe’s music. With the release of her hit, “Deepthroat,” in 2015, Chicago-born rapper CupcakKe became incredibly famous for her hypersexual, bold, and often comical lyrics, which resonated with many fans online. Following this, in 2016, she released a mixtape containing songs that still reflected this hypersexualized side of herself, but also contained lyrics on loss, hardship, and sexual assault. Then later that year, the release of her album “Audacious” included songs such as “LGBT,” for the gay community, and “Picking Cotton,” which was a protest rap about racism in the police force.
Despite this and her philanthropy since her retirement in 2021, so many people were so focused on their initial perception of her music that it is hard for them to see beyond it.
For something more serious, take Oceangate in 2023, the Titan submersible explosion. This was a completely avoidable event that led to the deaths of five people as a result of improper safety protocols. Oceangate already had failed with developing a submersible a few years before Titan, and despite this, CEO Stockton Rush ignored experts’ caution. Arguably, this event should have shown the public two things: the divide between the working class and billionaires, and the fact that the desire for wealth sometimes outweighs the sanctity of human life. But it did not. Instead, it led to an influx of memes and comedic content. Personally, my first interaction with the event was through X. My initial perception of this event was unserious, making it difficult for me to read through articles and take them seriously.
Now, let’s take it a step further. The COVID-19 pandemic, “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza, Epstein files, January 6 insurrection, ICE deportations, and the Trump administration in its entirety. All of these events have either occurred post-COVID or have significantly escalated afterwards. Each of the events listed is terrible, but there seems to be a very unserious view of all of these occurrences online. So my question is, are people not taking these events seriously because their initial perception of them was through a meme on social media? My guess is yes.
Going back to Ssanyu’s video, I wonder how we can encourage people to avoid anchor bias in the form of memes and comedic content. Firstly, misinformation, the silencing of free press in the United States, and anti-intellectualism are in full swing, making it incredibly difficult to encourage people to look beyond their initial viewpoints. It’s too weighted to say “broaden your perspective,” or “question the anchors,” when we see people ridiculed for trying to do so and a large amount of misinformation. Secondly, these memes may bring some comfort and normalcy in an age of chaos, so is it fully wrong for people to cope with humor? Or should coping with humor not be broadcast online to avoid desensitization of serious topics? We all fall into this cycle of letting our biases get in the way of finding the truth – again it’s human nature. But is there a way to avoid anchor bias in the form of memes? Unfortunately, I have to take the pessimistic perspective that there is no way out.