I think the issue lies more with how regular people interact with the political process now, which is mostly political activism as a hobby rather than meme acti

I think the issue lies more with how regular people interact with the political process now, which is mostly political activism as a hobby rather than meme activism. Meme activism is just a consequence of that type of activism in contemporary society. Political hobbyists are a much larger issue because by nature the cost of participation is low (especially on social media) so many do not have much investment and are capable of being manipulated easily since they often lack the understanding necessary when engaging in difficult social issues. This leads to performative politics and eventually purity spirals. Social media exacerbates this since now you are easily capable of socially signaling to a much larger audience. In the age of social media this can (and has) created huge social movements based on nothing more than feel good politics. While huge, these movements aren't very resilient because most people aren't actually very invested in their causes, and leadership is often nebulous and diffuse. As a result, these causes can be hijacked, subverted or can just fall apart as peoples interests move elsewhere somewhere along the grueling path of change. For most, their political activism begins and ends with the retweeting of some catchy hashtag or infographic, or attending some march with their friends for some cause without fully understanding the issues they are protesting. When push comes to shove, most will not be willing to make serious sacrifices for their cause.