The Couple Texting in Bed meme is an exploitable image macro that began as a two-panel webcomic strip featuring a man and a woman texting in bed. It is also known as Boy and Girl Texting or Bloqueado meme. The meme typically ends with one or the other blocking or ghosting the other person.
This meme is typically used to depict the rapidity with which people will block others, seemingly to some for petty reasons.
Meme basics:
- Meme creator: meme by @SadPlayDexty/Facebook, artwork by @ari.nunnunano/Instagram
- Meme type: Exploitable/Image Macro
- First appearance: December 11th, 2019
- Origin source: Facebook
- Used to convey: Petty reasons people block others, sometimes with very dark endings
- Peak popularity: In Latin America, March 8-14th, 2020. In English-speaking countries, November 21-27th, 2021
- Notable Variations:
- 3-4 panel versions where someone dies
- Multi-panel memes using just one or the other character
- Black and white panels
- One or both characters replaced by other characters
Meme template
Origin and spread
The meme version of the Couple Texting in Bed meme was originally published by @SadPlayDexty on Facebook on December 11th, 2019, but the artwork itself is by Korean illustrator @ari.nunnunano on Instagram, who posted the unaltered artwork on their social media account on January 15th, 2020, possibly in reaction to the artwork going viral as an exploitable meme format.
The meme originally spread in Spanish-speaking communities online and was dubbed “Bloqueado” by those who posted exploitable meme edits of the artwork. According to Know Your Meme, on February 7th, 2020, vo_tishiny made a post on the Russian social media app VK of the meme which, according to DeepL, reads, “Don’t worry that you don’t have someone to text at night. Go to bed at 10 pm and take care of yourself.”
Popularity
The earliest iteration of the Bloqueado-style exploitable meme was posted by @zimonrock on X on February 26th, 2020, although it has since been deleted. In the original post, the boy writes in Spanish, “I’m a photographer and…” and the woman’s speech bubble says, “Bloqueado.”
A few days later on Facebook, Mundo del GATO (World of CATS in English) posted their version of the Bloqueado meme, where the man texts the woman that he is allergic to cats. That post has over 800 reactions and has been shared over 300 times. People in the comments section posted their agreement with the meme, stating that they would do the same thing.
While the meme was very popular in Spanish-speaking circles online in 2020, it didn’t hit peak popularity in Anglophone spheres until over a year and a half later and regained popularity once more in 2024.
Cultural context
The Couple Texting in Bed meme references how we communicate, or break off communication, as a society in the age of social media and texting. While the majority of these memes are tongue-in-cheek and irreverent references, there are some truths behind many of them. Many people are unwilling to look past simple differences in viewpoint and are quick to block others for what could be considered small transgressions.
Meme examples
Meme variations
More relationship memes:
- What is the ‘Care Bear Method’ on TikTok?
- The ‘Suspect Challenge’ provides hilarious police descriptions and absolute relationship chaos
- The 20 relationship memes for when you’re head over heels in love
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