pictograms
Explanation
The Joke
Two scientists are observing a chimpanzee through a window. The chimp is holding a phone and sitting in front of what appears to be a grid of pictographic symbols (the kind used in primate language research). One scientist marvels: "Incredible. She showed him the phone. He pointed to the symbol for 'off switch,' the symbol for 'on switch,' and then just shrugged for ten minutes." The caption below reads: "We managed to prove that chimpanzees can do a rudimentary form of tech support."
The joke reframes a classic primate cognition experiment -- where apes communicate using symbol boards -- as the chimp performing the most basic and universally frustrating form of tech support: "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" followed by a helpless shrug. The humor lies in the realization that this sequence of actions (reboot suggestion + giving up) is essentially the entirety of frontline tech support.
The Humor
The comedy works by collapsing the distance between what we consider a remarkable cognitive achievement (an ape using symbolic communication) and what we consider the lowest bar of human technical competence (basic tech support). The punchline lands because "turn it off and on again, then shrug" is simultaneously a legitimate scientific demonstration of symbolic reasoning AND a devastating satire of how tech support actually works. The scientists' awe at what is, functionally, the most unhelpful form of assistance adds an extra layer of irony.