Economy

Photos of People at the ATM Has Become a Meme

February 12th 2016

If you browsed Reddit on Friday, you probably noticed an unusual uptick in photos of people (and animals) at ATMs around the world. After one user posted a photo of a white man apparently withdrawing funds from an ATM in Thailand, surrounded by two women, the trend quickly picked up steam, with users sharing context-less scenes from ATM locations, allegedly from placed ranging from Detroit to Mexico.

The point of the ATM trend was part-humor, part-social commentary. While the Thailand image raised questions on Reddit about unverified links to the country's illegal sex trade industry, there were also out-of-context photos of dogs and cats attempting to operate the automated teller machine.

Here are scenes from ATMs around the world.

1. Thailand

atmImgur - imgur.com

2. Detroit, Michigan

atmImgur - imgur.com

3. Mexico

atmImgur - imgur.com

4. Russia

atmImgur - imgur.com

5. Albania

atmImgur - imgur.com

6. Presumably, an ATM in Gotham City

atmImgur - imgur.com

7. Presumably, an ATM near Comic-Con

atmReddit - reddit.com

8. Pennsylvania

atmImgur - imgur.com

9. A college campus in the U.S.

atmImgur - imgur.com

10. Pet-friendly ATMs

atmImgur - pinimg.com

atmImgur - imgur.com

While Reddit users debated the context of these international ATM scenes, the takeaway seems to be that not everyone has the same, mundane experience at ATMs around the world. The photos reveal clear differences in security standards at ATMS, for example, but really, the trend leaves more questions (and laughs) than answers.

Share your opinion

Do you worry about security at ATMs?

No 42%Yes 58%