We can all use a helpful piece of encouragement now and then, whether said encouragement comes from a friend, family member, coworker, or … stranger on the internet? That’s the premise of a new-ish meme making its way around Twitter. The concept is fairly simple, a person simply tweets “I don’t know who needs to hear this,” followed by a piece of friendly (if not unsolicited) bit of advice.
Although it’s unclear exactly where the meme originated, it seems to have first started popping up around summer and fall of 2018 and then into early 2019, ranging from life-affirming, common sense-related or brutally honest pieces of advice, such as the following examples. Who said Twitter was all bad?
I don’t know who needs to hear this but…YOU GOT THIS BABYGIRL KEEP PUSHING🗣💪🏼✨
— alison 🦋 (@alisonpool_) June 19, 2018
I don't know who needs to hear this but Stretch marks is not a curse.
— iTweetsense (@kesterrichard_) April 5, 2019
I don’t know who needs to hear this but take them Christmas leftovers out the fridge
— mr.versace (@JAYVERSACE) January 15, 2019
I don’t know who needs to hear this but cancel that free trial.
— Truly Humbled Under God (@superrjoint) February 17, 2019
I don't know who needs to hear this, but he's not leaving his wife for you.
— Yanga (@Yanga_Co) October 7, 2018
https://twitter.com/KhadiDon/status/1054237000503443456
For what it’s worth, you probably didn’t wipe good enough, and I don’t know who needs to hear this but you can literally get a bidet on Amazon for like under 30 bucks.
At any rate, the meme seems to have picked up steam over the course of the past month or so. And people are starting to have fun with it—even if the “advice” offered is still actually pretty useful, in most instances.
I don't know who needs to hear this right now but pic.twitter.com/j6d0Xxlqbs
— Daniel José Older (@djolder) April 21, 2019
https://twitter.com/crazybabymama18/status/1120440726498742277
https://twitter.com/juansfit/status/1113873473095520257
Just update your LinkedIn already! Your dream job isn’t going to find itself.
Others are just using the meme to clearly subtweet themselves or others, especially when it comes to responsible decision making.
https://twitter.com/KiissMyDimples/status/1117898409573150720
https://twitter.com/dopesicktight/status/1114615276727721984
https://twitter.com/TraceOddity/status/1116897969268248576
https://twitter.com/Kehlani/status/1108128005094666240
And then some people are getting flat-out absurd with the meme—although honestly find me someone who doesn’t need to see this photo of Celine Dion and Will Smith at the 1991 American Music Awards. What a fashion-forward time to be alive!
I don't know who needs to see this, but here's a picture of Celine Dion and Will Smith. pic.twitter.com/yG3kfllnvd
— R. Eric Thomas (@oureric) April 23, 2019
And then there are examples like this one that no one needs to see, because who the heck out there is putting jelly on breakfast sandwiches? Maple syrup, maybe, but not jelly. (Also what kind of jelly?)
I don’t know who needs to hear this , but jelly 100 percent belongs on a TurkeyBaconEggNCheese Sandwich.
— Wale (@Wale) April 25, 2019
Say what you will about taking random advice to be found off of Twitter, but a psychiatrist typically costs at least $100 per hour, and as they say, this website is free.
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