Week 11: Reading Scholarship on Race/Religion/Gender in Memes

In week 11 you are asked to reflect on how research conducted on similar themes related to your meme research study might help you reflect on the messages your memes communicate about race/religion/gender. 

You have been asked to find a scholarly article showcasing research on Internet memes that address your chosen topic.  Consider what concept, argument or aspect of methodology the authors have used in their study which might be of use to you in your own analysis.

Your task is to summarize this article and identity one specific concept, argument or aspect of methodology used within this work and apply it to your own.  Please be as concrete as possible both in your description  and application of this idea in your paper.  The aim is to see how your observations might be informed by previous scholarly study of your theme and Internet memes.

Your blog should be 2 paragraphs in length. The first paragraph should summarize your chosen article and identify the aspect of the article at you will draw on.  The second paragraph should apply your selected concept, argument or aspect of methodology to your entire sample and summarize what this reveals in relation to your research question.  Please them discuss 2 memes in detail and showcase how applying this specific aspect shapes your reading of this meme.

 This will be your last formal blogging assignment related to your meme research project, so make this blog a good one, and your reflection detailed and thorough!

Week 10: Analyzing your Sample

The next two weeks we will be working on analyzing our meme samples in relation to your chosen research question.  We will be looking at two aspects: Memes features and Messages features.  This week we will be focusing on Meme Features, or how the structure and communication style of memes might influence they way they are read and interpreted in relation to your chosen research question.

In the first few weeks of your research blogging you were asked to look at the work of Shifman (2013) and consider how traits of memetic success (week 3), types of humor used (week 40 or motivational strategies employed (week 5) can influence how memes are understood and interpreted.  This week you will pick one of these aspects and apply it to your memes sample to see how it helps you interpret the ideas about gender/religion/race they communicate. 

Before you begin this analysis you need to do the following.

PART 1:
First, if necessary based on comments posted on your blog, please revise your research question.

Second, use this research question and the criteria you set out in last week's blog to select the 10 memes that best allow you to explore your chosen topic.

Three, create a blog post in which you post these 10 images and the web links associated with them.  Title this post Week 10: Final Meme Sample

PART 2:
After you have completed this portion of the assignment the you will create a second blog post for week 10.  Here you will identify which of the aspects from Shifman's research will be of most use to you.  Write a paragraph that identities which aspect you will use, offers a clear definition and explanation of what Shifman's ideas are, quoting as relevant from her book.  And then explain how you apply this to your sample. 

After you perform this analysis then write 1-2 paragraph that starts with your findings, provides examples from 2 or 3 exemplar blogs that demonstrate your claims. And then end your paragraph with a summary of what these finding might mean in light of your research.  This should be written in essay format, using a structured paragraph format, rather than an open ended response to an exam question.

Week 9: Letting your research question guide you

This week you will focus on refining and mapping out a strategy to respond to your research question.

First, reflect. Reflect on the wording of your research question. Is it clear and concrete?

Second, define and contextualize. What key terms stated in your question do you need to define?  What events or ideas need to be explained for the readers?  Think through what ideas presented in the question need to be discussed and contextualized in order for you to fully investigate and respond to your questions

Third, consider memes.  Do your selected memes allow you to address and respond to your meme in a concrete way? How so exactly? Explain in detail.

Please write a narrative that addresses each of these area and provides a detailed explanation and rationale for your response.   Select three new memes from your sample and discuss in detail how point three relates to each.

Week 8: Creating a study sample

This week the focus in on creating a clear and comparative study sample of memes.  It is important to define your study parameter before you collect your memes.  Creating a meme study sample require: cohesion, consistency and clarity.

Cohesion-First you must clearly define the focus of your sample.   What traits must be present  each of the memes you collect that provides a justification for them being included in your sample.  Are you studying a certain stock character or event?  Are there specific people or images that should be present in all images?  What consistent themes or content should be mentioned in the text for it to be included in your study? Are you looking at memes posted on a certain site or platform? Do they all come from a set time period?

Consistency- It is important to clearly name and define the criteria you have chosen that will guide your selection.  This means not just stating the time frame/character/research site that you have selected, but explaining why you have made that selection.

Clarity-Consider how your research question creates boundaries for the kind of memes you will include or not include in your study. The criteria you select should be stated clearly, and you should be able to explain concretely how those factors will help you address your research question.

For this week you are asked to more explicitly explain your sampling strategy.  This includes naming and defining 3-5 criteria you will use. You should explain how those will be applied to your search strategy. Also provide a narrative about how those selection criteria will help you explore and answer your chosen research question. (Based on last week's feedback you might also need to revise your research question).

After you post your strategy you will apply it by identifying and recording 20 relevant memes and the web address of where they were located on a word document, to be sent to the course instructor.  Also post 3 of these memes, which you have not yet posted online, to your blog and explain how each matches the criteria and justification you have provided.

SAMPLE STUDY: Pope Memes on the Catholic Church & Sexual Abuse Scandal

In order to help model how to formulate a research study one memes I (Dr. Heidi Campbell) will be blogging over the next few weeks about a sample research study I am conducting on Pope Internet Memes. This case study is focused on discussion of the  Catholic Church  and the current sexual abuse allegations centering on the report released recently in Pennsylvania. Based on this I offer the following as an example of expanding on your research proposal with the template I have provided.

My research explores the theme of religion related to how Internet memes frame religious institutions in the midst of controversial situations.

This will be done by exploring how Pope Francis and the Catholic Church are being framed online through memes commenting on events related to the release of reports om the Child Sexual Abuse Controversy in the Catholic Church in 2018.

My proposed research question is: What messages and assumptions do Internet Memes communicate about religious institutions, specifically the Catholic Church, when featuring reactions to controversial events such as the Child Sexual Abuse Cover-up in the Church?

In order to answer this question, I will study 10 Internet memes related to how Pope Francis, as a representative and icon of the Catholic Church, is portrayed in relation to public responses to recent reports of child sexual abuse in Pennsylvania Diocese.

Memes will be selected on the basis of the following criteria: include an image of Pope Francis, appearing online in last 12 months, text reference most recent abuse controversy, and church's role or responsibility in these events.

The following 3 Internet memes provide examples of the types of memes I will be collecting and analyzing.  All three feature images of Pope Francis and commentary related to recent allegations about the Church's responses to the child sexual abuse scandal and have appearing online on different blogs in the last 6 months.  Each also highlight different narratives that seem to be promoted in this memetic discourse.

The first meme draws on a image of  Pope Francis which according to Knowyourmeme.com has become a stock character images associated with the current pope. It highlights Pope's supposed ignorance and lack of response to the current controversy.

The second meme uses an AP image of the Pope to challenge the Pope's pastoral response to Catholic clergy by evoking a theological narrative of mercy often used by the Pope to challenge his own action in the scandal.

The third meme uses a third image of the Pope remixed wearing meme stock character "scumbag Steve's" hat.  Scumbag Steve is used to highlight the clueless-ness and stupidity of the character. So this mash-up could be seen to communicate that the Pope's response to the scandal is ignorant and shows him to be contradictory, seemingly challenging his intelligence and handling of the situation.

All three of these memes highlight different critiques about the Church and the Pope, their authority and handling of the situation, which will be explored in more detail in my study.

Week 7: Refining Meme Research

In this week's blog post you are asked to refine your proposed meme research project.  First of all, you are asked to take into consideration any comments provided on your proposal in last week's post to help refine your topic.

Then, you are asked to consider more precisely what specific aspects of the themes of gender, race and/or religion you plan to explore.  You will do this by offering a brief description of the theme you will explore, what specific memes you will investigate in relation to this theme and offer a draft research question that focuses your work. Your narrative should follow this format:

My research explores the theme/s of...... related to......
My proposed research question is:
In order to answer this question, I will study 10 Internet memes related to....
Memes will be selected on the basis of the following criteria...

Please be as concrete, detailed and precise as possible in describing your research project area and the memes you will explore.  After you provide these details please post two new memes you plan to include in your study.  Briefly describe them and explain how each helps you address your chosen topic theme, research question and proposed meme sample.

Week 6: Meme Project Proposal

This week you are asked to post a project proposal.  This should be 150+ word description of your chosen meme study focus and theme.  Your study FOCUS will involve an analysis of 10+ memes dealing with either a single meme stock character or memes related to a specific media or news event.  Your chosen THEME should deal with either a specific topic or idea related to religion, race and/or gender.  Please also provide two meme images that you feel best exemplify this chosen focus and theme, and explain why you have selected them for your research study.

Week 5: Narratives that Motivate Responses to memes

In chapter 8 of Memes in Digital Culture, Limor Shifman talks about the potential of politically focused Internet memes to cause people to act and respond.  She describes memes as using humor to motivate political participation.  She describes three ways internet-based political memes can motivate participation.  Memes can be seen as (1) forms of persuasion, (2) empowering action and (3) facilitating public discussions.

Similar to last week, you are asked to select and post 3 memes related to a specific news or media event that has some connection to ideas of race, religion and/or gender.  First, describe the event you are exploring, how the three memes you have selected related to this event and what  specific messages about it each meme communicates.  Second, you are asked to consider which of the three responses these memes seem to encourage in their viewers and readers.  Please cite concrete examples from the memes that back up your claims, as well as use quotes or ideas from chapter 8 to explain your argument.

Week Four: How Humor in Memes Communicates

This week you are asked to select three internet memes that deal with a specific media or news event that has some connection to ideas of race, religion and/or gender.  First describe the event you are exploring, how the three memes you have selected related to this event and what  specific messages about it each meme communicates.  Second, you are asked to consider and discuss the specific forms of humor the memes you have chosen use.   In chapter 6 Shifman identifies 3 forms of humor common in memes: playfulness, superiority and incongruity.  However, other types of humor may also be present such as irony or quesioning.  How does the type of humor employed shaped the messages and meanings it communicate. Please cite concrete examples from the memes that back up your claims, as well as use ideas from chapter  6 or 7 that help explain and back up your argument.

Week Three-What makes memes successful?

What makes a meme spreadable or viral?  Shifman argues, in relation memetic videos, there are characteristics that help make meme popular and one's people are willing to share. She describes these as the 6 Ps: Positivity/humorous, Provoking emotions, Packaging, Prestige of character, Positioning, Participation. I would argue these traits are also ones which help catch people's attention in relation to Internet memes and encourage people to engage and share memes with others.

According to Shifman, there are also some common traits that memes poses which are more likely to become memetic sensations.  She argues memetic videos that are successful often include several of the following characteristics:  Ordinary people, flawed masculinity/gender roles, Humor, Simplicity, Repetitiveness/Familiarity, Whimsical Content. This week you  are also being asked to consider to what extent this might also be true of Internet memes.

In this week's assignment you are asked to pick one of the meme stock character's you looked at last week and collect and post 3-4 memes using these characters that share a common theme.  This theme should involve memes addressing issues of race. religion and/or gender.  Please post these memes, briefly describe each and explain how they relate to the theme you  have chosen to explore. 

Then reflect on this week's reading (chapter 5&6)  and explain which of the viral traits (the 6Ps) and memetic traits you see as represented in your chosen meme sample and how they are manifest.

If you wish, you can select a new meme stock character to explore, but if you do, you will also need to provide a summary of the stock character origins and meaning as you did in last week's blog.

Week two-what is a meme?

In week two you will formally begin your research diary blog by reflecting on what is a meme vs. an internet meme and how their definition creates unique opportunities and challenges as objects of research.  You are asked to select two stock character memes to study this week.  First do research online and on knowyourmeme.com about the origins of this meme character, the different components that make up the meme and what kinds of humor the meme seems to use to communicate.  Then reflect on Chapter 4 of Shifman's Memes in Digital Culture and what are two things you need to keep in mind about memes and their communication that would impact how you study these two stock characters.

Also for some interesting insights in the the origins of Internet memes see this article.

Welcome to COM 8005!

Welcome to Com 8005, a graduate course taught at Villanova University in Fall 2018. Together we will be exploring the relationship between new media technologies, digital cultures and religion.  This blog will serve as a hub for the class related to the research and discussion were are undertaking in this course. Part of the exploration as involve each student to create a research blog, to chronicle your analysis and discover about how Internet memes communicate different messages about religious and cultural groups in a network based society.  Please create and email your blog address to me before class next week.