The 'Land Mass between New Orleans and Mobile' meme originated during the coverage of Hurricane Isaac in 2012. A graphic or tweet from The Weather Channel referred to the state of Mississippi simply as the 'land mass' located between the more recognizable cities of New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. Mississippians quickly took offense and turned the snub into a badge of honor, spawning viral jokes, t-shirts, and social media hashtags. The meme is primarily used to mock media coastal bias or to ironically claim that Mississippi is a mysterious, unnamed territory that exists only as a buffer zone between major Southern hubs.