Photo: Nihilist Memes

Nihilism is usually a word thrown around by philosophy students who have read too much Albert Camus. But lately, it’s been the source of internet entertainment for a number of memers.

Existential nihilism, a branch of nihilism that states that human existence is devoid of all meaning and value, is supplying the internet with a seemingly endless amount of jokes about “staring into the abyss” — an allusion to Nietzsche’s infamous quote “And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you,” — and about death being the only escape.

The material on the Nihilist Memes Facebook page is made up mostly of everyday images that have nihilistic implications, like a photograph of a metal plaque on a wall that reads “On this site in 1897 nothing happened.” Recognizable images from cartoons and other pop culture sources edited to make existential jokes are also popular on the page, like a picture of infamous Las Vegas sign which now reads, “The Slow Disappearance of Meaning and Truth”.

Texts From Your Existentialist, a nihilistic Instagram account, plays off of famous works of art and screenshots from classic movies to get its jokes across. One post takes a painting of a distressed woman with an overlay of text: “For lent, I’m just giving up.” Another shows a still from Casablanca of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. with a blue iMessage text bubble next Bergman which says, “Of all the abysses in world, he stares into mine,”

Photo: Nihilisa Frank

Perhaps the most creative and amusing of all is Nihilisa Frank, the Tumblr artist that takes the cute and colorful designs of Lisa Frank and juxtaposes them with bleak musings on existence.

So if you’re ever feeling down (but still want everyone to know you have a sense of humor about it), send your friends and family some nihilist memes and contemplate your finite and meaningless existence together.