It’s quite likely that you’ve come across a meme or two (or more!) shared by the ‘Circle of Idiots’ team at some point in your social media ‘career.’ The account has been on Instagram since way back in 2015, and it’s kept up a relentless stream of quality content.

Over the years, it has garnered a truly massive following. At the time of writing, a jaw-dropping 3 million Instagram users follow the page for their daily doses of comedy.

Memes can be considered a type of folklore. In the case of the times we live in, it’s digital folklore. They’re a way to tap into the collective conscience of humanity as a whole. Some memes, just like humor itself, can transcend cultural and even language barriers. Sometimes, a simple image of a relatable situation or a cute or derpy animal is enough to connect people from very different backgrounds.

As BBC Future points out, memes aren’t just about light entertainment—even though that’s what many people think of when they hear the word. Memes are a form of communication and a language in themselves. In short, they’re visual content that can connect people, help folks express themselves, and even promote or undermine social or political causes.

How strongly a meme resonates with us depends on how relatable we find it. Memes about topics that affect many of us (work issues, food, raising pets, parenting, mental health, etc.) are going to have a stronger impact than images about niche interests or opinions. The more relatable we find a meme, the more likely we are to share it with our social circle. And then, the image goes viral.

One study from 2013 found that internet content that sparks a strong emotional response makes it more likely to be shared. The stronger the emotions, the greater the likelihood of the content being shared and reshared. However, the types of emotions do matter. For example, folks have a greater intent to spread humorous content than something that is cute, disgusting, or induces anger.

According to clinical psychologist Dr. Kanan Khatau Chikha, people need love, self-esteem, and security. She told Vice that it’s because of human beings’ need to belong that they relate to memes so much. In short, memes create a sense of identification that makes us feel like we’re part of a bigger social group.

However, relatability and wittiness might not be enough for your meme to get noticed. The fact of the matter is that every single day, internet users are bombarded by an unending stream of entertainment and information in their social media feeds. So, you need to find a way to stand out from the crowd with your content.

Standing out can mean different things for different creators. It might mean putting a lot of additional effort into the visual aspects of the memes. For example, you could use high(er)-quality photos. Or you could switch up the color palette and format a bit so that you’re not doing exactly the same thing as all the other giant accounts.

Then, you have to consider how you’re using the text portion of your memes. If all the comedy is in the photo itself, you might want to keep the comments to a minimum. However, if you feel like a comment is going to elevate the humor, then by all means, put it in the spotlight. Just make sure that you’re using an easily readable font. And don’t go overboard with the length of the text: few people have the focus and attention span to read a wall of text. If they see it, they’re likely to keep scrolling.

We’d like to hear your thoughts about the ‘Circle of Idiots’ memes, Pandas. Which of the pics that we’ve featured did you enjoy the most? Which ones made you laugh the hardest? What kinds of memes do you typically share the most often with your friends or coworkers? Feel free to tell us all about it in the comments!