When Memes Become Movements: Luigi Mangione and the Internet's Reaction

I’ve been thinking a lot about Luigi Mangione’s case and the way his story has turned into this massive online phenomenon. At first glance, it’s easy to see it as just another example of internet culture doing its thing—making memes, cracking jokes, and sharing opinions. But when you look closer, it’s clear there’s something much deeper happening here.

Before I dive in, I want to make one thing very clear: I do not condone the killing of the United Healthcare CEO if Luigi is guilty of the crime. Violence isn’t the answer, no matter how flawed the system is. That being said, the internet’s reaction to Luigi and the way his story has been reframed is worth unpacking.

All the most famous images of Luigi—the security footage, the mugshots, even the perp walk with the NYC mayor—were created by the authorities who caught him. Those images weren’t meant to be neutral. They were designed to tell a story, to frame how we think about Luigi and what he did. But what’s wild is how the internet took those same images and flipped the script.

Instead of seeing what the authorities wanted us to see, people used those images to create their own narratives. Memes turned Luigi into everything from a rebel to a hero, and the message shifted away from just Luigi’s actions to much bigger questions about the healthcare system, policing, and even media bias. It’s like the internet collectively said, “We’re not buying your version of events—we’re making our own.”

This is a huge part of how memes work today. They’re not just pictures with captions. They’re tools people use to create meaning and build communities. When we share a meme, we’re not just laughing at it or even agreeing with it. We’re engaging with a conversation about how things are framed, who gets to tell the story, and what that story means to us.

In Luigi’s case, the memes became a way for people to critique the healthcare industry, poke at how the media covers these stories, and even question the way authority tries to shape our perceptions. But here’s the kicker: none of this is happening in a vacuum. Social media algorithms, comment sections, and green screen videos are all part of the way we engage with these stories. We’re constantly reframing and remixing, and in doing so, we’re building a new kind of collective storytelling. 

This is why memes aren’t just funny little internet moments. They’ve become tools for shaping how we see the world and how we connect with each other. They give us a way to take control of narratives that might otherwise feel out of reach. And while that’s powerful, it also comes with responsibility. We have to recognize that memes don’t reflect reality—they shape it.

So, when we look at a Luigi meme, it’s not just about him. It’s about how we’re all choosing to interpret the story, how we’re reshaping it, and what that says about the way we navigate the world today. The real story isn’t the meme itself—it’s what happens around it.