'Somebody needs to do it'

Video Description

Thousands of posts on TikTok, X, and Instagram pleading “someone needs to do it” are racking up millions of likes. The subject is never named and the action is never spelled out, but it's a loaded call to action that somehow everyone understands. The phrase has become online shorthand for a society that has lost all faith in the system. In this video, I unpack how and why this meme became so pervasive, the political and cultural moments that led us here, and dissect what the "someone's got to do it" meme reveals about the cultural and political moment that we're living in. I talk about collective trauma, political cynicism, our decaying faith in democratic institutions, and so much more. I spent so long on this video, please watch and let me know what you think!!!! ***** Buy a subscription to my Tech and Online Culture newsletter, User Magazine to support my work!! 🙏 https://www.usermag.co ***** Subscribe to my newsletter: ⁠⁠https://www.usermag.co⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/taylorlorenz https://www.instagram.com/taylorlorenz3.0 https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorlorenz https://bsky.app/profile/taylorlorenz.bsky.social #memes #onlineculture #internetculture #politics #trump# biden #history #videoessay #meme