You know, I’ve been meaning to share this little side-project, or maybe it’s more of a weird hobby, I picked up. It all started pretty randomly, as these things often do. I was just browsing, you know, like everyone does, probably looking for something completely unrelated, and then I stumbled into the world of tb memes.
At first, I didn’t even know what to call them. I’d just see these screenshots, mostly from Taobao, I guess, with these absolutely bonkers product descriptions, or hilariously bad translations, or customer service chats that were just pure comedy. I’d chuckle, save one or two, and move on. But then it started happening more and more. It was like once you see one, you start seeing them everywhere.
My Deep Dive Process
So, I got curious. I thought, “there’s gotta be more of this stuff.” My first step was just trying to find more actively. I wasn’t really sure how. I’d type in silly search terms on the platform itself, hoping to unearth some gems. Sometimes it worked, sometimes I just found a lot of, well, normal stuff.
Then I realized a lot of these memes were actually about the interactions. So, I started paying more attention to comment sections, especially on products that already looked a bit odd. You’d be surprised what people write. Or what sellers reply with. Pure gold, sometimes.
My “practice,” if you can call it that, involved a few things:
- Screenshotting everything: If something made me laugh, or just shake my head in disbelief, I’d grab a screenshot. My phone gallery started looking a bit mental.
- Trying to categorize (and failing): I thought maybe I could find patterns. Like, “types” of tb memes. There were the “lost in translation” ones, the “seller is done with life” ones, the “buyer has weirdest request” ones. But honestly, a lot of them just defied categorization.
- Sharing with a few mates: I’d send the really good ones to a couple of friends. Their reactions were usually, “Where do you even FIND this stuff?” That’s when I knew I was onto something, even if that something was just peak internet absurdity.
It wasn’t like I was doing serious research or anything. More like digital beachcombing. Sifting through the endless sands of online listings to find those weird, shiny shells. Sometimes I’d spend a good hour just clicking around, going down rabbit holes based on one funny image. You’d start looking at a weirdly advertised t-shirt and end up looking at, I don’t know, custom-made pet rocks with googly eyes that cost a fortune.
The whole thing was just about observing, really. Observing how language gets twisted, how people try to sell the unsellable, or buy the unbuyable. And the creativity! Some of the product mock-ups, or the way people would stage photos for reviews… it was like outsider art, but for e-commerce.
I guess the “record” part is just my collection of screenshots. It’s not organized, it’s a mess, but it’s my mess. It documents this strange little corner of online culture. You look at some of them and you just think, “how did this even happen?” Like, what series of decisions led to this particular image or text existing and being put online for everyone to see?
So yeah, that’s been my little adventure with tb memes. No grand insights, really. Just a lot of scrolling, a lot of laughing, and a slightly worrying amount of time spent looking at things I will never, ever buy. But hey, it’s a fun way to see the weird, human side of all that online shopping we do. It’s a reminder that behind every listing, there’s probably someone just trying their best, or maybe just having a very strange day.
