Blog Post 3- Memes
In today's digital age, memes have become one of the most popular and recognizable forms of spreadable content. They are everywhere on social media, and people use them to express themselves and communicate with others. But what makes a meme a meme, and why are they so successful in participatory media? Check out this article to further understand the outline of a meme and what it is..
https://powertofly.com/up/funny-boss-memes
As well check out this video about spreadable content to understand how mass memes and essays are spread
At its core, a meme is a piece of cultural information that spreads rapidly from person to person within a culture. They are often humorous, sarcastic, or ironic, and they usually take the form of an image with text overlaid on it. The most successful memes are those that are easy to understand and share, with a clear message that resonates with a large audience. Check out this article explaining what a meme is...
https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-meme-2483702
One of the key factors that make memes successful is their ability to tap into the collective unconscious of a culture. In today's society, we want to laugh about something, laughter as a trait brings people together and in times of COVID, we needed the laugh to bring us together when we could not be in the same room together. Memes often express shared experiences or emotions, and they can be a source of comfort and validation for those who relate to them. In this way, memes can create a sense of community and solidarity among people who may not know each other in real life. Another important aspect of memes is the way they use humour to communicate complex ideas or emotions. Humour is a powerful tool for breaking down barriers and creating connections between people, and memes are no exception. They can be used to make light of serious topics, to poke fun at social norms and conventions, or to provide a much-needed laugh in difficult times.
However, it's also important to remember that memes can be a form of cultural commentary, and they often reflect the unsaid as much as the said. They can be a way of expressing dissent or criticism in a way that is less confrontational than direct speech. Memes can also be a way of subverting dominant cultural narratives or challenging oppressive power structures.
Let's discuss some examples for those that do not know what memes are, first a big example would be the #Ok boomer meme. This meme is mostly created by Gen Z individuals who want to create an age difference on social media, with their actions, everyday experiences, and more.
Another example would be The sexist man meme, where a man is walking with his partner and looks back at another female. There is text above each of the people explaining what they are thinking at that moment. Both of these examples show that memes are all unique and authentic to themselves. As well, I wanted to speak about the spreadability of memes.
Although we have not talked about Misinformation, memes' spreadability contributes to the idea of misinformation, spreading ideas that can be weaponized to repeat topics such as health issues during covid (vaccines). Overall memes seem very harmless and fun to spread around but as people on social media a lot we have to understand the positive and negative side of social media and the spread of memes. Below are some definitions and articles to further browse through! please tune in next week for some more digital media literacy concepts.
Meme definition:
an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme.
Mis Information:
is false or inaccurate information—getting the facts wrong.
https://www.apa.org/topics/journalism-facts/misinformation-disinformation
Links to Browse through:
Internet Memes and the two fold articulation of values by Shifman
https://academic.oup.com/book/35088/chapter/299127732?login=true
New York Times: The meaning and history of memes
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/26/crosswords/what-is-a-meme.html
Comments
Post a Comment