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| Egg shortages are the subject of the country's current internet bit. Johnny Miller. Food stylist: Su Lee. |
The chicken crosses the road, Louis clutching his Vuitton bag, Derby rocking his styled bowler hat, dodging the sunglasses-wearing paparazzi, and crossing the road in style. In the eyes of a frustrated grocery shopper armed with Photoshop and social media on his account, chickens are becoming sparing on a valuable asset: eggs.
Consumers fed up with rising egg prices on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, and TikTok are responding in a modern way. they are creating memes.
Some posts liken egg cartons to piles of gold or cold coins. TikTok lists over 14.2 million videos of him under #eggshortage. Among them are repeated jokes. They are weighed, examined and handed over by people in fur coats like drug dealers. "Hustlin'" by Rick Ross is the soundtrack that drives the gag home.
However, viral videos are not always staged. One of his TikToks taken at Costco shows a line of people meandering through the store to buy eggs. It's a familiar sight for anyone who remembers toilet paper shortages early in the pandemic.
His Internet His Archives His Site He Knows Your Meme He has traced the origins of several egg price jokes. It soon sparked the joke that chickens would "start the chicken revolution."
Referring to online humor following last spring's spike in gasoline prices, Caldwell said, "I've seen similar memes about inflationary pressures in markets.
There are several explanations for the rise in egg prices. Highly contagious bird flu has been circulating for almost a year. The USDA reports that at least 57 million chickens have been affected, making it the deadliest bird flu epidemic in history. Another potentially more influential factor is inflation. The cost of many elements of egg production for consumers is rising, including fuel, chicken feed, packaging and labor costs. The average price of eggs has nearly doubled, and other foods have also increased.
"Eggs, in form and content, are a blank canvas of taste and nutrition," says New York Times columnist and egg enthusiast Eric Kim.
"Eggs are the basis of many other foods." So it's no wonder the egg meme isn't just for those who are "always online" to participate. Attack the Facebook group and you'll see it's serious. ”
Online searches for "egg substitutes" increased him by 16,000 compared to last year. Home cooks and influencers are seizing the opportunity to share recipes for eggless breakfasts and cupcakes (next eggless omelet?).
This isn't the first time eggs have been in the spotlight on social media. In 2019, @world_record_egg became a beloved stunt on Instagram as he tried to make his egg stock photo the most popular picture on the platform. (It succeeded, beating out Kylie Jenner's baby announcement after Argentina's World Cup win last month and Leo Messi's post.)
It's unclear when consumers can expect price cuts. In the meantime, there isn't much to do but post.
"When people meme things, they're not necessarily saying it's not serious or important," Caldwell said. “Playing online to connect more with people about issues is a very social game. People feel less alone.”