AboutWhat does the meme depict?

The 'Sign Holding' meme involves individuals using handwritten signs to express social or political statements in photographs. These images typically show a person holding a sign that conveys a message related to a specific social or political issue. The purpose of these photos is to participate in online activism, often shared with relevant hashtags to amplify the message. Although this form of activism gained traction with its application in significant campaigns, it has also faced criticism for being an example of 'slacktivism,' where minimal effort is perceived as likely having little impact.

OriginWho did it first?

The concept of 'Sign Holding' in the context of online activism began with a platform called 'We are the 99 Percent,' created by a 28-year-old activist from New York City known as Christ. This Tumblr blog was started on August 3rd, 2011, drawing its name from a poster seen at the General Assembly of the Occupy movement. The blog featured individuals posting pictures of themselves holding signs describing personal stories about how America's economic issues affected them. This movement highlighted the disparities between the wealthiest 1% of the population and the rest of the country. The blog started accepting and sharing these image submissions from September 8th, 2011. This form of online picketing parallels earlier internet practices such as 'timestamping' observed on 4chan's /b/ board and Reddit's r/AMA, where individuals posted photos with handwritten notes to provide authenticity to their messages.^[1]

Origin: 2011