Pop culture media outlet Konbini recently conducted research to ascertain the biggest meme—a photo with overlaid text—trends of 2016. Using a tool similar to that of Google trends on meme aggregator website me.me, Konbini found that the usage of the word “vegan” (in both positive and negative connotations) has spiked by 6,930 percent since January 2016. “Memes are significant in public discourse surrounding politics, pop culture and even mental health,” Konbini writer Lydia Morrish said. “And no matter how much we play down the sharing of hundreds of thousands of these basic, pixelated but charming creations, memes highlight important shared cultural moments for the internet generation and beyond.” Social media platforms—particularly Instagram—continue to be an effective form of animal advocacy and have been credited for inspiring younger generations to adopt plant-based diets.

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