At first glance, a cute and entertaining little meme. But what is it about this meme (and others like it) that makes us share and share and share again? I think the answer is two-fold:
1. Most (though clearly not all) people start their day with some form of caffeine. I believe we probably attribute a bit too much of our ability to actually get up and be human to such things, but, man, does it help! People often find coffee/caffeine comments to be humorous and relatable. And we like being able to relate to other people--even if it's just across the great abyss of the interwebs. "Oh, you feel like crap until you've dosed-up in the morning? Me, too!". At the heart of it, we're all struggling to 'adult' and knowing we aren't alone is at least a little comforting.
2. I think the real key to this meme is the 'pretend you know what you're doing' bit. Who hasn't felt like they're totally faking this whole I'm-a-grown-up-who-has-their-shit-together thing? My husband, who is clearly brilliant and very hard-working, even struggles to appreciate his own abilities and worth. It's normal. We all do it at some point... hell, some of us do it daily. Understanding that other folks out there who seem to have it all together are struggling inside just like we are is an important part of coping with the feelings of inadequacy that we all feel from time to time. Myself, I feel almost every day as if I'm totally faking it. One of these days, someone will realize I'm not as smart or as good at my job as I pretend to be and then it will all fall apart. According to the internet, I'm not alone in feeling this way. And maybe that's one of the best features of the internet: it lets us know, in little ways and big ones, that we are not alone.
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