Memes of Care: Good Morning Images and Digital Care among Older People in Taiwan

Abstract

AbstractEvery morning, images carrying greetings and pictures of girls, cute animals, or beautiful flowers are circulated among Taiwanese older people on the messaging app LINE. These “good morning images” (GM images) are building a new social network for seniors, and its ritual of exchange has produced a digital subculture. In this article, I will be considering these images as “memes of care.” While memes for younger people are usually humorous and meant to raise a laugh, for older people, GM images are about care and connection. However, care is never innocent and not always desirable, and GM images have joined a sharing culture within LINE that precipitates the spread of unverified, authorless rumors. By examining the “care-ful” feelings, doings, and obligations of GM images, I show how older people actively participate in the practice of digital care so as to open up to “as well as possible” reconfigurations engaged with troubled presents—that is, the pandemic and social isolation on the one hand, and the proliferation of false and misleading information on the other.Keywords: Carememegood morning imagesolder peopledigital communication Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 It is an official ringtone, provided by the messaging app LINE, which sounds exactly like the name of the app.2 In Taiwan, community colleges are part of adult education and vocational training. Unlike those in the United States, they do not confer degrees. Community colleges are closely connected with local communities and offer a wide range of courses for the elderly and retired population as part of the social education program.3 Statistics by the LINE company https://official-blog-tw.line.me/archives/81291901.html (accessed on 22 June 2022).4 See Article 14 of the Special Act for Prevention, Relief and Revitalization Measures for Severe Pneumonia with Novel Pathogens, https://law.moj.gov.tw/ENG/LawClass/LawAll.aspx?pcode=L0050039 (accessed on 22 June 2022).Additional informationNotes on contributorsMei-chun LeeMei-chun Lee, Assistant Research Fellow, The Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica.