TRENDING: 2022 in Review – I’m dumfungled, and you?

By Louise Burgers, Retailing Africa Editor. ‘Dumfungled’ is a term from an previous Scottish dialect for becoming “mentally and physically worn out, utilized-up and strung-out”. Seems about appropriate for the stop of 2022. I’m unquestionably experience like that. WTAF 2022? Like critically? Where by do I even begin crafting a humorous column to sum up this year in memes, when my default environment is ‘stunned’ these times, like most other South Africans. It is been A Large amount fellas!

These were just some of the lowlights: Parliament burnt down Russia invaded Ukraine, resulting in foodstuff prices and petrol skyrocketing regional power blackouts then switched off any prospect at economic restoration this year KZN was strike by devastating floods in April desire fees started off expanding Twitter became the to start with main social media network to implode cash in a couch brought about a constitutional disaster far more ability blackouts will make this a dim Christmas… and as a result of it all, South Africans maintain producing jokes and memes.

We could all be extremely dumfungled, but we can nevertheless assist each individual other in the course of the tough occasions, and we do nevertheless crack a joke throughout the worst of occasions. That by yourself, should really give some hope. These are some of the memes that described 2022, primarily in our neighborhood retail and brand name sector:

JANUARY

When an individual explained 2022 was heading to be ‘lit’, they really should have specified, as our historic Homes of Parliament burnt down early January. Given that points only obtained worse in 2022, I come across these memes alternatively prophetic, in retrospect!

FEBRUARY

So, there we were being, stressing about our beloved Fish Paste currently being discontinued, when the earth overall economy was about to blow up, as Russia invaded Ukraine with just one of the fishiest excuses ever.

MARCH

And so, it began… the war impacted on gasoline and foods charges globally, as well as the provide chain. There wasn’t considerably to giggle about, but belief Saffers and their dim humour to proceed the meme manufacturing facility.

APRIL

KZN was strike by devastating floods  – and the crazy continued, with the Trolley Bandit creating headlines close to the entire world, as he hitched a experience on a petrol tanker though in a supermarket cart, in the rain, and on a single of our busiest Joburg highways. Check out the video listed here.

May possibly

Elon Musk’s mid-calendar year bid for Twitter was the subject of quite a few memes. It was funny for a time, but that moment didn’t very last. Models and staff keep on to exit Twitter as 2022 ends and Musk clips Twitter’s wings.

JUNE

Really hard relate to this meme. Ah very well, they also make terrific shoe baggage added bags for stuff necessary at school luggage to carry library guides bags to organise charitable donations and almost everything BUT the damn groceries, for the reason that I forget about. Each individual. Time!

JULY

Soon after the totally nonsensical story about Ryan Air introducing a ‘test’ for South Africans to verify, they were, very well, actual South Africans and not nefarious criminals with faux SA passports, the memes came rapidly. It all appeared a little bit of an Irish Joke, genuinely, in moments when the truth is in fact tougher to imagine in some cases than bogus news.

AUGUST

Some of our makes grew to become meme targets as the financial system continued to squeeze budgets, and premium makes in unique, had been singled out.

SEPTEMBER

Stage ‘I really do not know what the hell phase it is’ electric power blackouts from Eskom. At this phase we experienced to share memes, as what a lot more could we say about ‘loadshedding’ at this stage? We have no extra words – but this is our collection of loadshedding memes, if you nevertheless have a sense of humour still left.

October

At least in October, we could all marvel at the spray-on dress debuted by Paris-based mostly style designers Sebastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillan from the Coperni style property, in a dwell demonstration with supermodel Bella Hadid. The ‘spray-on dress’ video quickly went viral and every single single main information community, trend and entertainment media, business enterprise media, and life-style publication ran with the tale and video.

NOVEMBER

November was a extensive month, with our President’s Royal Tour, The Cyril Couch Reveal, and Musk’s Twitter Takeover, which was a fascinating social soap opera, sent one particular crazy tweet at a time. I think we all will need to choose more vitamins and have a lot more naps. Billionaires incorporated.

DECEMBER

It is heading to be a darkish festive time for quite a few South Africans, in more methods than a person, soon after the financial woes in our nation and the continued disintegration of infrastructure and alleged sabotage at Eskom, our nationwide ability utility. But, we are fortunate to are living in a place with climate that is not that extreme and a social, braai culture. No lights. No worries. We make fire.

Pleased Vacations and see you in the New Calendar year!

Calendar year IN Evaluation

2021: https://retailingafrica.com/tendencies/2021-the-12 months-dumbfckery-attained-stage-5/

2020: https://retailingafrica.com/trends/trending-2020-summarised-in-memes/

Key image credit: Unsplash.com.

Louise Burgers is the Publisher, Editor and Co-Founder of RetailingAfrica.com. She has used over 20 a long time creating about the FMCG retailing, marketing and advertising, media and advertising field in South Africa and on the African continent. She also lectures submit-grad college students in Marketing and Advertising Communications. Specialising in area and Africa purchaser traits, Louise is a passionate Afro-optimist who thinks it is Africa’s time to rise yet again and that the Africa Continental Totally free Trade Settlement (AfCFTA) will be a international gamechanger this ten years.

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