From Meme Pages to Media Empires: How Relatable Humour Became Big Business

Remember when meme pages were just badly cropped screenshots and inside jokes only your 3 a.m. group chat understood? Fast forward to 2025, and those same pages are building media empires, raising funding, hiring teams, and shaping how we consume news, culture, and entertainment.

The Meme Evolution

What started as a way to pass time between boring Zoom lectures is now a legit industry. Meme pages like So Delhi, Humans of Bombay, and The Indian Idiot didn’t just stay stuck in the “funny content” lane, they evolved into storytelling platforms and full-fledged businesses.

Take So Delhi, born as a local guide for millennials in the capital, now a go-to media platform for foodies, event-hunters, and travel buffs. Or Humans of Bombay, which started with heartwarming photo-stories and has since built a storytelling empire that brands line up to be a part of. And The Indian Idiot? What began as savage commentary on pop culture is now a hub for news-meets-meme content that makes Gen Z actually want to stay informed.

Relatability = Currency

Here’s the thing, memes work because they are painfully relatable. They make you say “same” before you’ve even finished reading them. And that “same” moment is internet gold.

Relatability isn’t just humour; it’s trust. When meme pages crack a joke about Monday blues or your toxic situationship, they aren’t just entertaining you, they’re building a connection. And that connection? It converts. Brands have figured this out, which is why meme pages are at the top of every marketing plan.

Humor as a Business Model

Today, these pages are running like media startups. There are editors, content strategists, sales teams, analytics dashboards, and yes, even investor decks. They’re monetising through branded content, affiliate marketing, events, merch drops, and sometimes even original IP shows.

The secret sauce? Humour keeps engagement high, and engagement is the new currency of the internet. If you can keep someone scrolling, giggling, and sharing, you can sell them anything from a coffee mug to a crypto app.

The Future of Meme Empires

We’re entering an era where meme pages aren’t just platforms, they’re power players. They can trend a hashtag overnight, make or break a campaign, and even shape public opinion. The line between “meme admin” and “media mogul” is officially blurred.

So the next time you double-tap on a meme about your toxic boss, know this: you’re not just laughing. You’re fueling a billion-rupee industry, one punchline at a time.