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.