If you use any form of social media, then you know that memes are one of the biggest forms of content floating around. While the term ‘meme’ used to refer to a more specific set of images in the early 2000s, it has now evolved into a name for basically any funny image. Anyone can create a meme about any topic and have it blow up – that’s why an Instagram page like @newjerseymemes hits home. Their daily posts consist of memes everything New Jersey, including Jersey City and our neighbors. @newjerseymemes started posting over a year ago, and has now gained a following of 64k+ followers.
There are over 100 memes about cities and towns all over NJ, but of course my favorites are the ones that relate to Jersey City:
“Starter packs” have become a well known meme format, and even though North Jersey is more than Jersey City and Hudson County, I love how unified the idea of living in North Jersey basically means we live in NYC. Plus, the iconic Colgate Clock included in the post is located in Downtown JC after all!
While this starter pack is for Hudson County, most of these references relate heavily to Jersey City. We have finally banned single use plastic bags, have plenty of bodegas, and most of the schools mentioned are located in Jersey City. The PATH and Light Rail systems have several stops in JC and are some of the main ways people travel from one neighborhood to another. I love the addition of “NJ / NYC in Instagram bio” because it seems like only people who live in Jersey City do that. Another fave is the Google search result: “Is Jersey City New York City’s ‘Sixth Borough’?” Jersey City is so close to NYC and it is amazing how people are so fascinated with the relationship between the two cities.
This is a template to describe two things that are “best friends,” and it’s pretty accurate. Jersey City and Hoboken physically sit next to each other, but also compliment each other. Jersey City is a big bustling city compared to Hoboken’s more quiet, family-oriented vibe. There are still plenty of unique restaurants and stores in both cities, as well as yearly events and fairs.
A few more of my favorite memes poke fun at the oh-so-efficient transit system we have called NJTransit:
NJTransit controls most of the public transportation we use in Jersey City – the Light Rail, buses and trains; and yes, I have experienced an issue or delay on a regular basis and so have you.
A page like this is important, not just for the humor, but for connecting New Jerseyans as we all laugh at our culture. There are many things that are uniquely New Jerseyan that people might not even realize – speeding on the highway, baconeggandcheeses, the argument of whether Central Jersey exists or not (it doesn’t). We can actually look at the posts on these pages and relate to them, because we live in NJ and know that we have interacted with at least one place or reference made. It’s funny because it is something we know to be true, and now we can share that with the entire internet.
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