[Air-L] Meme Tracking

Mon Jun 12 16:00:18 PDT 2017

As the images posted to this list for the LOLs illustrate, these issues are very well rehearsed among vernacular experts. But they are very well rehearsed among scholars of internet culture as well.

I second the recommendation to read Limor Shifman’s book on the subject, and if nobody else posted it, see also the Culture Digitally Festival of Memeology, which features many of the leading meme scholars http://culturedigitally.org/festival-of-memeology/ 

The “festival” includes “Memeology Festival 05. Memes as Ritual, Virals as Transmission? In Praise of Blurry Boundaries” also by Limor Shifman, which is a very short piece that covers many of these questions. http://culturedigitally.org/2015/11/memeology-festival-05-memes-as-ritual-virals-as-transmission-in-praise-of-blurry-boundaries/

On 12/6/17, 6:47 pm, "Air-L on behalf of Taylor-Smith, Ella" <air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org on behalf of E.Taylor-Smith at napier.ac.uk> wrote:

    Hi all

    If we are interested in studying what people are doing on the Internet (what they think they're doing etc.), then we can't ignore that people share images -especially images with words in -that they call memes.
    The books coming out of the Why We Post project take this line and are rewarded with all sorts of insights about the contemporary use of memes in various cultures. E.g. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/why-we-post/discoveries/14-memes-have-become-the-moral-police-of-online-life

    Miller and Sinanan's book about Facebook use is a good place to start Miller, D. & Sinanan, J. (2017). Visualising Facebook. London: UCL Press. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-press/browse-books/visualising-facebook

    If we're interested in the relationship between Dawkins' ideas and the concept of an internet meme, I have a couple of pointers that might help.
    It seems to be that media scholars use the term meme to study how content spreads across the Internet, by focusing on the content of the content -virality, while virality is a metaphor -people do the spreading, not the content.

    For Dawkins (in the meme) "the idea of purpose is only a metaphor" (The Selfish Gene).

    When Godwin introduced the Internet meme idea, he seemed to be taking this concept of virality in order to introduce a counter-meme (Godwin's Law of Nazi Analogies). In this case, the meme's purpose is Godwin's purpose.
    https://www.wired.com/1994/10/godwin-if-2/

    Many definitions of meme emphasise humour
    e.g. “a piece of culture, typically a joke, which gains inﬂuence through online transmission.”
    Davison, P. (2012). The Language of Internet Memes. In M. Mandiberg (ed.), The Social Media Reader (pp. 120–34), New York: New York University Press

    If we lose our sense of humour while studying or discussing memes, we will not be able to understand them at all.
    Probably best not to underestimate the role of humour in any communications, but especially online.

    Hope this helps.

    -Ella

    Dr Ella Taylor-Smith

    School of Computing
    Edinburgh Napier University
    10 Colinton Road
    Edinburgh, EH10 5DT

    Email: e.taylor-smith at napier.ac.uk

    http://www.iidi.napier.ac.uk/e.taylor-smith
    http://about.me/EllaTaylorSmith
    @EllaTasm

    This message and its attachment(s) are intended for the addressee(s) only and should not be read, copied, disclosed, forwarded or relied upon by any person other than the intended addressee(s) without the permission of the sender. If you are not the intended addressee you must not take any action based on this message and its attachment(s) nor must you copy or show them to anyone. Please respond to the sender and ensure that this message and its attachment(s) are deleted.

    It is your responsibility to ensure that this message and its attachment(s) are scanned for viruses or other defects. Edinburgh Napier University does not accept liability for any loss or damage which may result from this message or its attachment(s), or for errors or omissions arising after it was sent. Email is not a secure medium. Emails entering Edinburgh Napier University's system are subject to routine monitoring and filtering by Edinburgh Napier University.

    Edinburgh Napier University is a registered Scottish charity. Registration number SC018373

    _______________________________________________
    The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
    is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org
    Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

    Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
    http://www.aoir.org/