Memes and social activism. Comment on memes’ ideological force, their use in social movements and viral advertising, and their role/value in contemporary digital cultures.
Ermahgerd, there are over 9000 memes on the internet, so it would be impossibru to talk about all the things. However, challenge accepted! I will try and deal with it like a boss. Some may say I done goofed because ain’t nobody got time fo’ dat but haters gonna hate, I’m going to do it for teh lulz.
The term meme was originally coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976 in a book called The Selfish Gene that compared ideas to viruses, mutating as they spread from person to person. In line with his theory, the word “meme” mutated to mean viral media in the form of images, phrases, videos, and stories. The near instant transmission of information through the internet allows memes to escalate quickly, gaining popularity and sometimes notoriety within a matter of days.
Memes can be cute such as cats and baby animals, funny like rage faces and parody music videos, ridiculous like Gangnam style, terrible like Rebecca Black’s “Friday,” or even disturbing in the case of goatse and 2 girls 1 cup (I’m not linking those!). The only factor in a meme’s success is whether it inspires people to share it. Almost anything can be a meme; a funny facial expression; unintentionally humorous lines from video games and movies such as “All your base are belong to us”, “do a barrel roll!”, or “it’s a trap!”; text overlaid on recognizable images; even nonsensical phrases such as the question When Does the Narwhal Bacon? can all become internet sensations.
While most memes seem vapid, they can grow out of and influence advertisements, politics, and ideologies. Advertisers have been quick to jump on the internet meme bandwagon after seeing commercials turn into wildly popular image macros such as the most interesting man in the world. Multiple marketing campaigns have sprung up around popular internet memes. Virgin Media used success kid to promote their TV service, Wonderful Pistachios used honey badger and keyboard cat in two different commercials, Chuck Norris appeared in a TV spot for World of Warcraft, and Old Spice Guy went from commercial to meme and back to a commercial parody for the Puss in Boots movie.
Internet memes have also entered the sphere of politics. Memes were prevalent during the 2012 presidential campaign mocking statements by both candidates. We are the 99% was a part of the occupy wall street campaign that told stories of how ordinary people were hurt by the financial crisis.
As more and more people become involved in online communities, internet memes are entering the mainstream. They are beginning to have a larger role in popular culture outside of the message boards and forums from which they originate.
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I agree with your acknowledgement of the significant rise of memes in correlation with the last presidential election. I also think it’s interesting to look at the culture related to memes in a broader point of view–it seems to bond a very specific group of people all over the country and the world. Despite the similarities in these people’s points of view, they could come from any race or religion and that’s what makes memes so interesting to me.
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