Overview of Memes

Instructor: Dr. Naomi Smith

Introduction to Memes

Understanding Memes:
- Ryan Milner (2016, p. i): It is difficult to envision a significant pop cultural or political moment that does not inspire a myriad of mediated remixes, plays, and commentary, collectively known as memes.
- Limor Shifman (2013b, p. 3): Our media landscape operates under a "hypermemetic logic," where every major public event generates a flow of memes.
Vernacular Creativity:
- Defined by Burgess (2006) as a fusion of folk practices, media savvy, and skill, with memes as a prime example.
- Shifman (2013, p. 4): Describes memes as seemingly trivial pieces of pop culture but asserts they play an essential role in significant events of the twenty-first century.
Cultural Reflection:
- Memes reflect societal anxieties and preoccupations across diverse groups and contexts.

Defining a Meme

Origin of the Term:
  - The concept originates from Richard Dawkins's 1976 book The Selfish Gene.
  - Memes are defined as "cultural replicators" that capture ideas and behaviors capable of infectiously spreading through populations, akin to genes.
  - The term "meme" derives from the Greek word mimema, meaning "that which is imitated" or "imitated things."
Universal Darwinism:
- Dawkins (as referenced by Miltner, 2018): Any varied and selected information will lead to design, applicable to biological and cultural contexts.
Selfish Information:
- Information, regardless of its form (be it a gene or a song), strives for propagation and survival.
Human Hosts for Memes:
- Brodie (2009) and Blackmore (2000) argue that humans function as hosts for memes, evolving to receive and replicate them (e.g., language).
Characteristics of Memes:
- If a piece of content is transmitted intact, it is viral; if altered during transmission, it becomes a meme.

Memes in Social Sciences

Social Phenomena:
- Memes are viewed as media objects with specific characteristics, cultural practices, and self-propelling ideas.
- Shifman (2013, p. 367) states that memes are units of popular culture circulated and transformed by Internet users, contributing to shared cultural experiences.

Characteristics of Memes

Spreadable Media:
- Jenkins, Ford, and Green (2013): Internet memes are described as spreadable media, where the audience can derive their own meanings based on personal and group interpretations.
Emotional Resonance:
- Scholars (Miltner, 2014; Milner, 2016) emphasize that memes succeed due to their emotional resonance and the feelings they evoke among users.
Genres of Memes:
  - Different genres include:
    - Flash mobs
    - Recut trailers
    - Rage comics
    - Lip dubs
    - Audio memes
    - Image macros and exploitables (manipulated images with humorous effects)
Examples of Exploitables:
- Notable examples include Galaxy Brain and Distracted Boyfriend.

Components of Memes

Three Main Dimensions (Shifman, 2013):
  1. Content: Ideas and ideologies represented in memes.
  2. Form: The medium (video, picture, audio) and genre patterns.
  3. Stance: The communicative tone and style used.
Participation Structures:
- Defines who can partake and how, alongside communicative functions that dictate the nature of communication occurring.

Early Internet Memes

Pre-Internet Memes:
- Lessig (2008) and Jenkins (1992) identify early examples such as demotivational posters.
- Demotivational posters by Despair Inc. emerged in 1998.
Single Serving Sites:
- Early internet memes were often hosted on sites designed to feature a single meme or concept.

Case Study: LOLcats

Origin:
- In 2007, Eric Nakagawa superimposed the text “I Can Has Cheezburger?” on a picture of Happy Cat, leading to the meme's viral rise on icanhascheezburger.com.
- Time Magazine reported in June 2007 that a Google search for lolcat yielded 3.3 million results.
Subreddit Creation:
- A dedicated LOLcats subreddit was established in 2008.
- Memes with pre-digital origins date back to the 1800s, noted with British photographer Harry Pointer.

Memes in Group Dynamics

In-group/Out-group Dynamics:
- Memes produced within fringe communities (e.g., QAnon) are often designed for internal consumption, rarely leaving the community (Mitman and Denham, 2024).
- Memes that exit their context may either die or evolve, losing their original cultural significance.
Cultural Resonance:
- Mitman and Denham note: Memes reaching advertising stages become highly recognizable but often lose resonance with their originating cultural group.

Memes as Political Practice

Role of Humor:
- Humor is pivotal in memes, contributing to their virality and serving as a form of resistance against power structures (historically seen with court jesters, political cartoons, and satire).

Memes in Authoritarian Regimes

Grass Mud Horse:
- A mythical creature symbolically critiquing the Chinese government's censorship, where the name plays on profanity in Mandarin.
- The humor juxtaposes censored lyrics against their spoken interpretations, serving as an incongruous social commentary (Shifman, 2013).
Escape from Censorship:
- Its benign literal meaning allows it to evade censorship while still harboring potent subversive content (Mina, 2012b).

Memes and Resistance

Resistance Narratives:
- Memes create frames and narratives that challenge authoritarian regimes (Qiang, n.d.).
Doctrines of Political Discourse:
- Similar dissent exists in countries like Iran, Egypt, and Russia, showcasing memes as tools for subverting power (Pearce and Hajizada, 2014).
- Azerbaijan's laws against digital humor highlight the contentiousness surrounding meme culture (Pearce and Hajizada, 2014).

Memes in Democratic Regimes

Political Expression:
- Since Obama’s first election, memes have emerged as substantial political statements, with Fairley's Hope poster marking a significant cultural moment.
- Obama's 2012 re-election campaign recognized as 'The Meme Election', reflecting the pivotal role memes played in shaping political landscapes (Beckwith, 2012).

Critiques and Analysis of Memes

Broader Political Memescape:
- Political memes critique not just elections but everyday political events, framing public perception and discourse (Highfield, 2016).
- They become influential in how the public engages politically, especially among social media users.

Memes as Activist Practices

Tools of the Subjugated:
- Memes wielded humor to highlight the absurdities and failures of authority (Cui Weiping, 2009).
Tragic Events and Digital Activism:
- For instance, memes surrounding the Wenzhou high-speed rail crash criticized government responsiveness, leading to vital political accountability (Ding, 2011).
Trayvon Martin Case:
- In the wake of Martin's death, memes amplified awareness regarding racial profiling through the Million Hoodie March, showcasing memes' potential for rallying communities and sustaining attention on critical issues (Mina, 2012).

The Meme Industrial Complex

Creation for Fun vs. Profit:
- Most memes arise from enjoyment and camaraderie rather than financial gain, challenging traditional profit models (Miltner, 2014).
Subcultural Origins:
- Many early memes emerged in niche communities (e.g., 4chan), often rooted in cultural specificity.
Monetization of Memes:
- Ben Huh’s acquisition of the LOLcat blog exemplifies the growing commercial interest in memes; however, criticisms arose regarding labor exploitation within meme culture (Phillips, 2015).

Transition to Commodification

Brand Engagement:
- Businesses increasingly engaged with memes, notably Virgin Mobile and Nyan Cat, creating a merging pathway between meme culture and commercial marketing.
Authenticity Concerns:
- Meme-generated content by brands is often perceived as disingenuous (Mitman and Denham, 2024).

Future of Memes

Evolution of Memes:
- Concerns regarding the creative decline of memes arise, with notable figures suggesting past meme forms lack vitality (Olsen, 2012; Menning, 2012).
Persisting Memetic Practices:
- Despite fluctuations, the culture and practices of meme creation remain vibrant, adapting as society evolves (Milner, 2016).

Conclusion

Memes transcend mere humor, embodying significant cultural, political, and social dynamics.
Their existence predates the internet, indicating their sustaining power amidst the digital landscape.