5G Its Fast Doe — A decayed zombie corpse with the text 'YEAH IT'S FAST DOE' at the bottom, the primary image and core format of the meme.

5G Its Fast Doe

2019Image macro / catchphrasesemi-active

Published April 6, 2026

Also known as: Yeah It's Fast Doe · 5G Users Be Like

"5G: It's Fast Doe" is a catchphrase meme format from mid-2019 where grotesque, mutated, or disfigured characters praise the speed of 5G cellular networks. The joke plays on conspiracy theories claiming 5G causes cancer or other health damage, with the punchline being that the horribly mutated "5G user" still thinks the fast download speeds are worth it. The format picked up steam after a debunked viral photo of a supposed hazmat-suited 5G installer, and saw a second wave in April 2020 when COVID-19/5G conspiracy theories spread.

conspiracy memes catchphrase memes absurdist humor memes 2019 memes gaming

Overview

The meme follows a simple formula: take an image of something mutated, irradiated, disfigured, or monstrous, then caption it with some variation of "5G users be like: yeah it's fast doe." The humor comes from the absurd trade-off. According to conspiracy theorists, 5G radiation supposedly causes all manner of bodily harm. The meme's characters cheerfully accept their horrifying physical state because, hey, the download speeds are great.

Common source images include ghouls from the Fallout video game series, deformed creatures, cursed imagery, and occasionally real people photoshopped to look mutated5. The catchphrase varies slightly across posts but always centers on acknowledging the speed.

Origin & Background

Platform
iFunny
Key People
Pakistan
Date
2019

Anti-5G conspiracy theories had been circulating online since at least July 2016, when early posts appeared on fringe websites like "Web of Evidence"5.

The meme's immediate catalyst was a photograph that went viral in early May 2019. The image showed a worker in a white protective suit on a telecommunications tower, and social media users claimed it proved that 5G installation requires hazmat radiation suits1. On May 12, 2019, iFunny user iWoke posted the image, where it picked up over 56,600 smiles within a year5.

On May 16, 2019, Snopes published a detailed debunking. The fact-check explained that cell towers only emit non-ionizing radiation, the tower in the photo wasn't even a 5G tower, and the worker was wearing a standard Tyvek suit, likely to protect against bird droppings while cleaning the monopole1. Scott Krouse, director of the National Association of Tower Erectors' Wireless Industry Network, confirmed the worker was probably "cleaning bird dung off the monopole" and that "hazmat suits are not required while working with 5G equipment"1.

Despite the debunking, the viral photo fueled a wave of anti-5G memes on iFunny and other platforms2. On June 14, 2019, iFunny user Pakistan posted what became the format's template: an image of a ghoul from the Fallout series captioned "5G Users Be Like: Yeah It's Fast Doe"5. The post earned over 2,600 smiles and was reposted across Instagram and other sites in the following months4.

How It Spread

During summer 2019, the format saw moderate spread. Users on Reddit, iFunny, and Instagram posted their own versions, swapping in different mutated characters while keeping the "it's fast doe" punchline5. Comment sections on 5G-related posts became a mix of genuine conspiracy believers and people making fun of them. One iFunny commenter wrote "5G users be like: Hello, smoothskin," referencing Fallout's ghoul dialogue4. Another joked about becoming "a male, cowboy, ghoul prostitute" with "high download speeds"4.

The format's biggest resurgence hit in April 2020, when a new conspiracy theory linking COVID-19 to 5G networks gained traction. On April 5, 2020, Twitter user @ech0astral posted a version that received over 55 retweets and 380 likes within two weeks5. Five days later, @BasedLoller3 tweeted another take that got over 40 retweets and 150 likes in a single week5.

The COVID-19 connection gave the meme fresh relevance. Where the 2019 versions joked about cancer and mutation, the 2020 wave added pandemic references. The core joke stayed the same: no matter what terrible thing 5G supposedly causes, the speed makes it worthwhile.

How to Use This Meme

The format typically works like this:

1

Find an image of something grotesque, mutated, or physically ruined. Fallout ghouls are the classic choice, but any cursed or disturbing image works.

2

Caption it with a variation of "5G users be like" or "me after [using 5G]."

3

Include the punchline praising the speed: "yeah it's fast doe," "but the download speeds tho," or similar.

Cultural Impact

The meme sits at the intersection of internet humor and real-world misinformation. While "It's Fast Doe" clearly mocks the conspiracy theories, it also spread awareness of anti-5G claims to people who hadn't encountered them. Comment sections on these posts often devolved into genuine debates about 5G safety62.

The Snopes debunking became a frequently shared counterpoint whenever the original hazmat photo resurfaced1. Multiple commenters on the viral iFunny posts attempted to explain the science, noting that "5G waves are non-ionizing radiation, just like 3G and 4G waves" and that the suit in the photo was clearly "a Tyvek suit, not a RAD suit"2.

The format also fed into the broader 2020 trend of pandemic conspiracy memes, sitting alongside other formats that joked about 5G towers being burned down in the UK and Bill Gates microchip theories.

Fun Facts

The worker in the original viral photo was most likely cleaning bird droppings off a palm-tree-disguised monopole tower, not installing anything 5G-related1.

Even if 5G towers somehow emitted ionizing radiation (they don't), no hazmat suit on Earth could block it. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirms that personal protective equipment "cannot protect against exposure from high energy, highly penetrating forms of ionizing radiation"1.

The tower in the viral photo wasn't a 5G tower at all. Based on the antennas visible, it was a standard 4G tower1.

iFunny user Pakistan's original post used a Fallout ghoul, making the Bethesda RPG series forever tied to 5G meme culture5.

Derivatives & Variations

Fallout Ghoul "Smoothskin" variants

— The most popular template used ghouls from the Fallout series, often paired with in-game dialogue like "Hello, smoothskin"[4].

iPhone 5G mutations

— A parallel format showed people "after turning on my new 5G iPhone" with increasingly distorted or melting faces[6].

COVID-5G crossover memes

— April 2020 versions blended pandemic and 5G themes, with characters suffering from both radiation mutation and virus symptoms simultaneously[5].

"Bees died with 4G too" counter-memes

— Some users pushed back on the format by pointing out that similar health scares accompanied every previous generation of cellular technology[3].

Frequently Asked Questions