We reached out to the creator of IT Humor and Memes, Trevor Paquette, to hear a bit more about how the group got started in the first place. "I created the group when I realized there was a lack of general IT meme groups," Trevor told Bored Panda. "The keyword there is 'general'. There were developer/programmer groups, the odd networking group, a few hacker groups, but no general IT ones I could find. The posts I submitted to an IT support group, tended to get lost in all of the great support questions being asked. So I thought, why not start a general IT humor group?"

"In May of 2019, it was created has been growing ever since," Trevor shared. "I never expected to hit 10,000 members, let alone the 1/2 million we are about to hit. The group has become a place to share things that many find funny using shared experience. (In the words of Sybok, 'Share your pain and gain strength from the sharing'). The group banner of the 'ESC' key leaving the keyboard is on purpose. Many have commented it gives them a needed break, an escape, from the constant stress and pressure they feel at work."

We also asked Trevor if it's necessary to have some sort of IT background to understand the jokes. "For some of the posts, it definitely helps to have a background in some aspect of IT, whether it be programming, networking, cybersecurity, administration, or tech support. The play on words and concepts can be somewhat confusing if you don't understand them," he explained. "That being said, a majority of posts are general enough that anyone should be able to get the humor. What I like to see are posts where 'It's funny because it's true' could be a caption. When humor mirrors real life with experiences the reader has had, it's a connection and makes it all the funnier for them."

We also wanted to know what the best parts about working in IT are for Trevor. "For me, the best thing ... is it's always changing. There's something more or something new to learn. Never a dull moment as the underlying technologies advance and change. There's always a way to look at a problem differently, and for the most part, if you need help, someone else has usually encountered the issue you are having and might be able to help."

Trevor went on to share some words of wisdom, "4 words: Let people enjoy things. This is the #1 reason posts get closed down. There are generally 'two camps' in tech; 'Us' and 'Them'," he noted. "For example, Android and iOS, Linux and Windows, Apple and Microsoft. Techs have their favorite OS, device, tool, app, or method of doing something; we all do. The Dunning-Kruger effect is alive and well within IT as quite a few techs have the 'my way or the highway' mindset. This results in a religious OS war between rivalries with some discussions of 'Us and Them' becomes 'Us vs Them', devolving to 'Me vs You' very quickly with comments becoming insults."

"Both the 'Us' camp and the 'Them' camp may want to remember they are both part of a larger 'We' camp; the 'IT' camp," Trevor explained. "IT is just a means towards an end-goal that we are all trying to achieve. It's fantastic learning opportunity to see how someone might use a different tool to solve the same problem. Aka: Let people enjoy things."

IT Humor and Meme’s ‘About’ page states that it’s for, “Humor and memes related to IT, or associated technology. Just a small corner in the big Facebook world to let loose a little steam and escape.” And clearly, members love it, as they are very active. In the last week, the group has gained nearly 6,000 new members, and as I’m writing this, the page has received over 60 posts today.

But it makes perfect sense for IT people to have a place of solace on Facebook after working a grueling day in the office. Working in IT can come along with immense stress, which we all know can take a toll on the body. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, “IT and IT related professionals are under constant pressure to deliver services efficiently and have to be cost effective.” Due to this, they are prone to developing a variety of health problems due to continuous physical and mental stress, including acid peptic disease, alcoholism, asthma, diabetes, fatigue, tension headaches, insomnia, IBS, and more.