TikTok is facing a rare meme drought. Inside the Great Meme Depression of 2025

People with a healthy limit on their screen time probably haven’t noticed—but there’s been a meme shortage this March. On TikTok, some have declared a full-blown “Meme Drought,” dubbing it the “Great Meme Depression of 2025.”

The panic began on March 10, when user @goofangel posted a video titled “TikTok Great Depression March 2025.” He says, “Nine days into March and we haven’t had a single original meme.” The post quickly racked up nearly a million views and clearly struck a chord, if the comments are any indication.

“October to February was an insane run,” one commenter reminisced, recalling a time when everyone was “holding space” for “ ">Defying Gravity” and—who remembers when everyone collectively joined Red Note for a minute? “Does the millennial burger restaurant count?” another asked. “Subaru’s kinda funny, but not laughing funny, yk?” someone else added. But as @goofangel pointed out, the “I Call Patrick Subaru” meme actually originated in 2021.

The Great Meme Depression soon became a meme itself, as TikTokers flooded the platform with meta-commentary. “How the Great March Meme Drought will be described in history books,” one user posted, alongside a slideshow of images from the Great Depression circa 1929. Another creator shared a video featuring TikTok influencers’ faces captioned: “When mfs say they grew up poor but never had to live through the Great Meme Depression.”

Others joked about the surreal nature of it all. “How it feels to realize ‘The Great Meme Drought’ of March is actually a meme itself,” one added.

With the trend cycle running faster than ever, meme culture may simply be unable to keep pace. The insatiable demand for viral content has left us trapped in an algorithmic loop, now recycling the same tired material we’ve already scrolled past.

Rather than forcing it, maybe this temporary drought is a chance to pause. Set some limits on screen time—and actually stick to them. Read a book or finally watch Severance. At least until the next viral moment comes along.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91305584/great-meme-depression-explained?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss