How a few fluffy faces on Instagram might be the key to sparking and civic engagement and curing political burnout.

By Molly Garvin
December 10, 2025

Since my time at the Rutgers Democracy Lab, I’ve found myself thinking

 more deeply and taking the time to notice how disconnected people — especially my generation truly are. There always seems to be something keeping us from coming together in the realm of politics, especially in a time of non-stop crises, political polarization, and the constant pressure to feel engaged and involved.

Like many others in my generation, I spend a lot more time scrolling through social media than watching the news. It’s easier to access and more entertaining to watch, as I can access a multitude of different media types through just one app. Social media was my primary outlet for information, in both the world of politics and other communities I take an interest in. It’s where I keep up to date on current events, laugh at the newest meme trends, and keep up with celebrity drama. And since the 2024 elections, it just seems as if this outlet for information has been completely swallowed by political news. And it’s exhausting.

Even I, an outspoken, highly-engaged political science student, became too tired to keep scrolling. Where I once found sanctuary in lighthearted memes and funny videos, I now find myself feeling increasingly stressed about the politically turbulent times in America. I’ve had to disable my TikTok and Instagram accounts more than once — and that’s how I knew it was bad. I traded my access to funny cat videos for a sense of peace from the outer world, where politics just seems way too heavy.

However, as I continued to pull myself on and offline to avoid the crushing weight of our current political climate, I came across a video called “How the US Constitution Works, Explained by Cats” by @Thinkitty. This short TikTok video explained the American political system with silly pictures of cat memes, while simultaneously explaining the structure and function of the American government using cat-related terms. This video caught me off guard at first, as it was the first time a political post had appeared on my feed that didn’t weigh heavily on me. Instead, I smiled as the creator explained the three branches of government as “cat towers”, and the given rights of each cat citizen as yarn and naps. As a (rather obsessive) cat owner myself, this video was not only relieving but refreshing. In the comments, viewers agreed; this was a creative, humorous, and entertaining way to educate and engage social media viewers with politics in a healthy, neutral way.

From cat videos and funny memes, we get more than just education and advocacy, too. Memes and cute cats foster a sense of community, which in turn ignites participation. When we’re laughing at the same jokes, fawning over adorable kittens, and watching the same videos and stories, we begin to feel connected to the people around us. We feel more comfortable talking about the topics that matter. We’re more likely to show up for our democracy.

If there is one thing that I’ve learned during my time at the Rutgers Democracy Lab, it is that civic engagement requires emotional energy. It’s hard to get out and be active for your community when you feel like you’re barely keeping yourself afloat. We don’t engage when we’re burnt out, as much as we want to. That’s why I think it’s so important to utilize the methods that don’t make participation feel like an obligation. We need to turn the conversation away from the big, overwhelming, abstract sphere of politics and into something more familiar, approachable, and accessible. A meme invites you into a space where you can laugh, and where anyone and everyone can be a part of education and conversation.