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Meme culture has invaded every aspect of our daily lives. Whether between friends or lovers, sending each other “memes” has not only become a way to laugh during the coffee break, but also to show affection. In the jargon of the romantic world, this is what we call “pebbling”.
Have you ever sent memes to your partner by slipping in a: “That’s totally you!” ? If so, know that it has an unusual name: pebbling. Inspired by the English word “pebble” which means “pebble”, it designates the ritual carried out by certain species of penguins, which consists of offering each other small pebbles. A way for the inhabitants of the ice floe to formalize their relationship and build their love nest.
In humans, these little pebbles take the form of memes or cute photos that we send to our partner during the day. Memes, forms of humorous communication, express an idea at a glance and are now well anchored in language 2.0. Made up of still or animated images, or even texts referring to pop culture or current events, memes allow us to affirm our feelings in a subtle way.
Today, many accounts dedicated to couple memes are flourishing on social networks. Hashtags #relationshipmemes for example, have almost 60,000 publications on TikTok. Among the most viral videos, a message from a little girl humming Selena Gomez’s song “Love You Like a Love Song”, captioned “When you ask your boyfriend if he can take you out for a treat and he says yes“. Currently, the video has almost 3 million views…
According to experts, “pebbling” is a great way to strengthen bonding with your partner. Interviewed by the media Metro UKjournalist and sexologist Gigi Engle declares: “Pebbling can be a great way to establish dialogue and connection with a partner. It doesn’t have to be physical – it’s meme culture.”.
The sexologist continues: “It’s the cutest thing in the world because memes are a language of love today. Pebbling started when sending memes became a way to connect with others“.
If we already know the main love languages – rewarding words, quality moments, gifts, services rendered and physical contact – digital communication, like pebbling, seems to have officially joined the list.
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