As we learn in the beginning of the documentary, Feels Good Man, Richard Dawkins coined the term “meme” in the 1970s to describe a minimal unit of culture that propagates by means of imitation. The term was meant to draw an analogy between the replication of genes in the reproduction of living organisms and the replication of ideas in cultural exchange. Dawkins suggested several areas where memes could be observed, such as musical tunes, catchphrases, and images.
Dawkins has recently suggested that the internet “hijacked”Links to an external site. the term meme, and explains that “that instead of mutating by random change and spreading by a form of Darwinian selection, [internet memes] are altered deliberately by human creativity. Unlike with genes (and Dawkins’ original meaning of “meme”), there is no attempt at accuracy of copying; internet memes are deliberately altered” (qtd. in Solon).
Like blogs and vlogs, memes are often individually produced. They are part of the great history of self-creation on the web, the production of meaning outside big media outlets. As we saw in Feels Good Man and the corresponding Lesson 8–which illuminate the complicated history of Pepe the Frog–memes have the power to shape moments in culture–whether it means bringing people together or pitting them against one another.
For this assignment, you will be asked to choose a single internet meme and explain a series of contributions to its meaning from individual creators. The areas of the circuit of culture that we will focus on are production and consumption. But remember, in the world of memes, production is always also reproduction and mutation. Memes accumulate meaning in their propagation, and sometimes a single instance will recall a whole series of exchanges. This is why outsiders find certain memes to be unintelligible. They circulate in communities with inside knowledge and carry references to prior communications and exchanges. Make sure you consider the role of conscious creativity (aka the deliberate alterations Dawkins mentioned) in extending the spread of ideas and images on the internet.
If you need help getting started, there are all kinds of meme aggregators online like this one.Links to an external site.
Directions:
Choose an internet meme. Your meme can be text, image, video, or sound
Claim your specific meme on the Padlet Sign-up Sheet in this week’s module. Your choice should notduplicate the selection of any other student in our class.
Preparation: Research the history of this meme to find its origins and evolutions over time–but be sure to consult at least 5 sources when researching (knowyourmeme or wikipedia can be great but make sure you vary your sources and cite all 5 in your works cited section!!)
Take at least 4 screenshots of different evolutions of the meme (see example at the top of this page). Make sure you resize the image so you don’t end up with an excessively large file in your post. Also be sure to cite and date them with written captions beneath each images
Circuit of Culture: Analyze your search term with attention to the aspects of production and consumption from the circuit of culture. Who thought it up? Who’s making or producing it (and how does it change as the meme evolves? What is his/her/their story? Socio-economic background? Interests (financial and otherwise)? Personal experiences? Positions (or “biases”)?
Drawing on your meme research, the Daniels and Malone readings, AND the film, create and support an argument about how user-generated content has impacted a shift in social norms, civility, and morality—both on and offline. You can use and build on any of the ideas from our lesson— such as the role of various social media platforms (like 4chan, Twitter, Reddit, TikTok, Discord, etc.), content moderation, free speech vs. hate speech, and the use of algorithms to drive content popularity. Compose a (min) 500-word discussion board post that presents your findings (including images and links to research), your argument, and supporting evidence which includes:
your 4 screenshots with captions
at least one quote from Daniels
at least one quote from Malone
at least one quote from Lesson 8
at least one quote from Feels Good Man (that does NOT appear in the lesson)
Your presentation should also include
a title
correct MLA formatting for all in-text citations
a works cited list (either attached as a document OR at the end of your post)
