The 2 vs. 47 iMessage meme shows two text message icons labeled with very different numbers of notifications in an exploitable image format. This meme makes a joke about how normal, often happy events get a lot less attention than something negative or full of drama.
The trend began on Facebook in September 2024 and quickly spread to Twitter and other social media platforms in the following weeks.
What is the 2 vs. 47 iMessage meme?
The image used for the gag shows two green iMessage icons on top of one another, with the first showing a notification with the number 2, indicating that there are two unread text messages waiting for the user. The bottom icon is labeled with the number 47.
The top icon typically comes with the label “my birthday,” while the second one will carry the punchline, which could include a shocking piece of national news or the fact that a sports team lost a game.
2 vs. 47 iMessage meme origins
The first known use of this meme format occurred on a Facebook page called NFL memes. On September 3, 2024, the page posted the image with the bottom icon labeled “My favorite football team loses.”
The post gained thousands of reactions and shares and hundreds of comments in the space of a couple weeks. The joke appears to be that football fans get a lot more hyped and emotional over a single game than a friend or family member’s birthday, but we’ve all pretty much accepted that as normal.
The meme format became a hit with those around the age of 30 or above who have often stopped caring so much about their birthdays anyway, making the joke less sad and more relatable.
Instagram adoption
One of the first social media accounts outside of Facebook to pick up this meme format was an Instagram page dedicated to Pacific Northwest firefighters and their culture called The Dirty Deuce. They created their contribution to the trend on September 6.
The punchline on their meme reads “after calling in sick and missing a structure fire,” undoubtedly referencing the unpredictable and intense nature of the job.
Spread to Twitter and Reddit
The format spread to Twitter less than two weeks later. As a social media platform that caters to journalists and is often the first to spread breaking news, users here adapted the meme to joke about the most scandalous and shocking stories.
On September 18, multiple accounts used it to reference the news that the U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a percentage point, which is a bigger deal than it sounds like and double the cut that many had predicted. The next day, people were posting the meme about the alleged relationship between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and New York magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi.
The meme hit Reddit on September 19, where it started to get weird, because it’s Reddit. Did you know there was a Coneheads-themes cryptocurrency? You do now.
2 vs. 47 iMessage meme examples
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