When the signal fails, summon the feathered broadband. Reliable, reusable, and never asks for a password.

“Lost all communications? Post a raven. Sip something restorative.”

Facebook, 12th May 2025.

A sepia-toned Victorian-style drawing of a man in a suit sipping tea while calmly sitting beside a sparking, broken steampunk communication device. A raven (or pigeon) stands beside him holding a scroll. The image text reads: “Lost all communications? Post a raven. Sip something restorative.”

This meme playfully combines steampunk aesthetics with modern digital woes — specifically, losing internet or mobile signal.

In the image, a well-dressed Victorian gentleman sips tea calmly while a pigeon (styled as a stand-in for a raven) perches nearby with a scroll. In the background, a sparking, gear-filled communication contraption has clearly failed. The top text asks, “Lost all communications?”, and the bottom advises: “Post a raven. Sip something restorative.”

The joke hinges on the absurd juxtaposition of 19th-century solutions to 21st-century problems. When your high-tech device fails — a relatable modern frustration — the suggestion is to revert to a whimsical steampunk alternative: sending a message via bird (like a raven or pigeon), and calmly drinking tea.

The accompanying Facebook caption drives the humour further:
“When the signal fails, summon the feathered broadband.
Reliable, reusable, and never asks for a password.”

This line mocks our dependence on Wi-Fi and passwords, suggesting instead a feathered creature with perfect uptime and zero digital barriers. It pokes fun at both modern connectivity issues and Victorian-era eccentricity — the very essence of steampunk humour.