I Would Prefer Not To is a relatively simple place. It falls into the genre of odd, no-context pic Instagram accounts, with some great memes sprinkled in along the way too. And it’s certainly great at what it does, as the page has amassed an impressive 175k followers through sharing over 4,800 photos. From bizarre screenshots from social media to memes that you might prefer not to admit that you relate to, this chaotic Instagram account has it all. And while you might be wondering what on Earth it is about accounts like this that we love so much, have no fear. We’ll try to get to the bottom of why you are confused and perhaps unsettled by these photos, yet you still can’t stop scrolling.

Let’s start with why we love memes so much. If you’re anything like me, you remember the very first memes you ever encountered. I was in middle school, and back then, memes were incredibly simple, with Bad Luck Brian and Philosoraptor taking the internet by storm. While the punchlines were usually straight to the point and didn’t require much background knowledge, we bonded over this “cultural information exchange”. According to Ali Arslan at Make Use Of, part of the reason we love memes is because they’re an opportunity to quickly and easily share jokes with one another.

Memes can also be a godsend for us when we’re in need of a source of collective coping. Remember all of the COVID-19 memes that came about during 2020? The pandemic was an absolutely terrible thing that caused heartache for millions of people around the world, but at the same time, we needed some sort of relief. After months on end cooped up in our homes, we we desperate for some humor to lighten the mood, and the fact that the entire world was experiencing the same thing helped the jokes become even funnier.

“It's common for certain events, happenings, or behaviors to hit the global community or a cultural group as a whole,” Arslan writes for Make Use Of. “We all feel the same emotions, tensions, and stress in such situations, making our feelings mutual… The reason why memes have become so popular is that they help people cope collectively. When a stressor is converted into a funny meme, most people can relate to it, talk about it, and feel that they are not alone in that situation. This makes the stressor less painful and easy to cope with.”

Memes can also be great to provide a new perspective on an event, sometimes allowing viewers to approach anything from the global pandemic to their mental health issues with a sunnier outlook. “This change of perspective makes people change how they see a stressful situation,” Arslan explains. “They are a source of humorous enlightenment for people. Another interesting thing to note about this type of media is that it brings all this positivity through the efforts of the ordinary people, or memers as they are called. The main intention of these memers is to create a viral meme. And in that process, they explore different perspectives, unintentionally bringing forth positivity.”

It’s easier to go viral today than ever before, but we don’t all want our names and faces to be public online. TikTok fame isn’t for the faint of heart, but pages like I Would Prefer Not To allow people to anonymously participate in meme culture and the hilarity of sharing strange pics online without any of the risks that social media stars often face. Followers can share and repost these pics, so that even wider audiences can enjoy them and bond over the jokes to provide a safer social experience online. When we bond over memes that comment on social moments and experiences we’re all having, we’re reminded that we’re not alone. And we should never go a day in this bleak world without laughing!

While pages like I Would Prefer Not To don’t seem to have any political or social agenda behind them, it is possible for accounts like this to have a huge impact on the real world. According to Helen Brown at the BBC, memes are “a language in themselves, with a capacity to transcend cultures and construct collective identities between people. These sharable visual jokes can also be powerful tools for self-expression, connection, social influence and even political subversion.” She goes on to explain how memes have helped progress the Me Too movement and allowed marginalized groups to bond online and form a collective identity. 

Memes can also be beneficial for individuals struggling with depression, as one study found they tend to rate memes mocking their mental health issues as “more humorous, relatable and shareable”. Though it’s debatable whether or not heavy topics should be joked about, many find these memes to be comforting, as they demonstrate how common these experiences are. So even if you would prefer not to admit that you relate to some of the memes featured on this list, you can rest assured knowing that you’re not alone in having those feelings. 

Memes also have a fascinating talent for influencing our points of view on anything from food preferences to politics. Joshua Nieubuurt, who studies misinformation and disinformation at the University of Maryland in the US and the University of Okinawa in Japan, claims that memes can be regarded as a “modern digital equivalent of the propaganda leaflet". He details how they have been used to support or undermine arguments for Covid-19 restrictions and vaccinations, using humor and sarcasm to delegitimize the opinions of people on either side of the debate. And when it comes to politics, apparently 30 video or gif political memes that were created during the 2017 UK General Election amassed a whopping 45 million or more views. 

I Would Prefer Not To is not the deepest corner of the internet, so perhaps we should just focus on enjoying the pics for what they are. But I can’t help but think that even silly photos like these are a reminder of how fascinating our world is. Bizarre moments, in real life and online, seem to be unavoidable, but we can always encapsulate those experiences within hilarious memes that are sure to go viral. You don’t have to understand everything that’s happening on this list, but we’re happy you’re along for the ride.