Meme inspires Wantagh student’s published research

Wantagh High School senior Jennifer Rosen admitted her Advanced Placement Research paper on the “Karen” meme trend was a little unconventional, but she found the topic fascinating. So did the Journal of Student Research, which published her work online in its high school edition.

Jennifer took AP Research as a junior, the second course in the AP Capstone program. She noted that the coupled crises in 2020 of the Covid-19 pandemic and racial protest movements led to a surge of memes and videos posted on social media of outraged individuals.

Intrigued by the new internet fad, Jennifer decided to make it the focus of her individual research project and explore the career and legal consequences faced by the “Karens” following the release of video content and subsequent memes. 

Focusing specifically on incidents in which the person displayed racist behaviors, Jennifer completed a two-part data collection and started with an analysis of 150 incidents. Narrowing it further down to 56 incidents, she found out that in 27 percent resulted in career consequences and 27 percent had legal consequences.

Social media, Jennifer noted, has essentially become another justice system with widely-circulated videos leading to repercussions for people including being “canceled.” In a press release, she explained how her research shows how someone’s digital footprint can impact his or her personal and professional life. It also demonstrates the damage that a third party can cause to someone else’s reputation.

Jennifer said that while memes are often meant as an expression of humor and comedy, they are also a modern form of a communication. In AP Research, students are tasked with filling in knowledge gaps, and Jennifer said that this trend is something that has yet to be inspected from an academic standpoint. 

“The research took a lot of time, but I found it very well worth it in the end,” she said in a press release. “It’s cool to be able to say that I am a published researcher and it shows the hard work that I put into my project.”

Jennifer took AP Research with teachers Heather Jones and Heather Naughton and said that it opened her eyes to how research is a great way to pursue knowledge in any area of interest, from humanities to the sciences. She also was mentored by two professors from Stony Brook University, who helped her navigate the process in getting her work published.

In June, Jennifer will graduate from Wantagh High School with an AP Capstone diploma. She plans to pursue a degree in business or data science in college.

Not only does Jennifer dedicate much time to her academics, but she is also involved in numerous organizations including the Key Club, National Business Honor Society, National English Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society. Outside of school, she works part-time at a local real estate office.