Redalyc.Defining and Characterizing the Concept of Internet Meme
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Virus of the Mind
OF THE Also by Richard Brodie Getting Past OK: A Straightforward Guide to Having a Fantastic Life ttt Hay House Titles of Related Interest YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE, the movie, starring Louise L. Hay & Friends (available as a 1-DVD program and an expanded 2-DVD set) Watch the trailer at: www.LouiseHayMovie.com THE SHIFT: the movie, starring Wayne W. Dyer (available as a 1-DVD program and an expanded 2-DVD set) Watch the trailer at: www.DyerMovie.com ttt ASK & IT IS GIVEN: Learning to Manifest the Law of Attraction, by Esther & Jerry Hicks THE BIOLOGY OF BELIEF: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles, by Bruce H. Lipton, PhD DESTINY vs. FREE WILL: Why Things Happen the Way They Do, by David R. Hamilton, PhD FRACTAL TIME: The Secret of 2012 and a New World Age, by Gregg Braden POWER vs. FORCE: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, by David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD STOP THE EXCUSES! How to Change Lifelong Self-Defeating Thinking Habits, by Dr Wayne W. Dyer Please visit Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com® Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au Hay House South Africa: www.hayhouse.co.za Hay House India: www.hayhouse.co.in OF THE The New Science of the Meme Richard Brodie Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK Ltd, 292B Kensal Rd, London W10 5BE. Tel.: (44) 20 8962 1230; Fax: (44) 20 8962 1239. www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the United States of America by: Hay House, Inc., PO Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100. -
Dawkins, 1991. Viruses of the Mind
“Viruses of the Mind” Richard Dawkins 1991 The haven all memes depend on reaching is the human mind, but a human mind is itself an artifact created when memes restructure a human brain in order to make it a better habitat for memes. The avenues for entry and departure are modified to suit local conditions, and strengthened by various artificial devices that enhance fidelity and prolixity of replication: native Chinese minds differ dramatically from native French minds, and literate minds differ from illiterate minds. What memes provide in return to the organisms in which they reside is an incalculable store of advantages—with some Trojan horses thrown in for good measure. –Daniel Dennett, Consciousness Explained 1 Duplication Fodder A beautiful child close to me, six and the apple of her father’s eye, believes that Thomas the Tank Engine really exists. She believes in Father Christmas, and when she grows up her ambition is to be a tooth fairy. She and her school-friends believe the solemn word of respected adults that tooth fairies and Father Christmas really exist. This little girl is of an age to believe whatever you tell her. If you tell her about witches changing princes into frogs she will believe you. If you tell her that bad children roast forever in hell she will have nightmares. I have just discovered that without her father’s consent this sweet, trusting, gullible six-year-old is being sent, for weekly instruction, to a Roman Catholic nun. What chance has she? A human child is shaped by evolution to soak up the culture of her people. -
An Analysis of Factors Influencing Transmission of Internet Memes of English-Speaking Origin in Chinese Online Communities
ISSN 1798-4769 Journal of Language Teaching and Research, Vol. 8, No. 5, pp. 969-977, September 2017 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0805.19 An Analysis of Factors Influencing Transmission of Internet Memes of English-speaking Origin in Chinese Online Communities Siyue Yang Shanxi Normal University, Linfen, China Abstract—Meme, as defined in Dawkins' 1976 book 'The Selfish Gene', is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture". Internet meme is an extension of meme, with the defining characteristic being its spread via Internet. While online communities of all cultures generate their own memes, owing to the colossal amount of content in English and the long & widespread adoption of Internet across all strata of society in English-speaking countries, the vast majority of high-impact and well-documented memes have their origin in English-speaking communities. In addition to their spread in the original culture sphere, some of these prominent memes have also crossed the cultural boundaries and entered the parlance of Chinese Internet communities. This paper seeks to give a brief introduction to Internet memes in general, and explore the factors that control and/or facilitate a meme’s ability to enter Chinese communities. Index Terms—Internet meme, cross-cultural communication, Chinese Internet I. INTRODUCTION Internet meme, an extension of the term "meme" first coined by Richard Dawkins (1976) in his work The Selfish Gene (p. 192), refers to the unique form of meme that spreads through the Internet. Internet memes in their various forms currently enjoy substantial popularity among Internet users all around the globe, and are flourishing and becoming increasingly entrenched in the mainstream culture of all the disparate societies in this connected world. -
MIAMI UNIVERSITY the Graduate School
MIAMI UNIVERSITY The Graduate School Certificate for Approving the Dissertation We hereby approve the Dissertation of Bridget Christine Gelms Candidate for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy ______________________________________ Dr. Jason Palmeri, Director ______________________________________ Dr. Tim Lockridge, Reader ______________________________________ Dr. Michele Simmons, Reader ______________________________________ Dr. Lisa Weems, Graduate School Representative ABSTRACT VOLATILE VISIBILITY: THE EFFECTS OF ONLINE HARASSMENT ON FEMINIST CIRCULATION AND PUBLIC DISCOURSE by Bridget C. Gelms As our digital environments—in their inhabitants, communities, and cultures—have evolved, harassment, unfortunately, has become the status quo on the internet (Duggan, 2014 & 2017; Jane, 2014b). Harassment is an issue that disproportionately affects women, particularly women of color (Citron, 2014; Mantilla, 2015), LGBTQIA+ women (Herring et al., 2002; Warzel, 2016), and women who engage in social justice, civil rights, and feminist discourses (Cole, 2015; Davies, 2015; Jane, 2014a). Whitney Phillips (2015) notes that it’s politically significant to pay attention to issues of online harassment because this kind of invective calls “attention to dominant cultural mores” (p. 7). Keeping our finger on the pulse of such attitudes is imperative to understand who is excluded from digital publics and how these exclusions perpetuate racism and sexism to “preserve the internet as a space free of politics and thus free of challenge to white masculine heterosexual hegemony” (Higgin, 2013, n.p.). While rhetoric and writing as a field has a long history of examining myriad exclusionary practices that occur in public discourses, we still have much work to do in understanding how online harassment, particularly that which is gendered, manifests in digital publics and to what rhetorical effect. -
Bovine Benefactories: an Examination of the Role of Religion in Cow Sanctuaries Across the United States
BOVINE BENEFACTORIES: AN EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN COW SANCTUARIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES _______________________________________________________________ A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board _______________________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ________________________________________________________________ by Thomas Hellmuth Berendt August, 2018 Examing Committee Members: Sydney White, Advisory Chair, TU Department of Religion Terry Rey, TU Department of Religion Laura Levitt, TU Department of Religion Tom Waidzunas, External Member, TU Deparment of Sociology ABSTRACT This study examines the growing phenomenon to protect the bovine in the United States and will question to what extent religion plays a role in the formation of bovine sanctuaries. My research has unearthed that there are approximately 454 animal sanctuaries in the United States, of which 146 are dedicated to farm animals. However, of this 166 only 4 are dedicated to pigs, while 17 are specifically dedicated to the bovine. Furthermore, another 50, though not specifically dedicated to cows, do use the cow as the main symbol for their logo. Therefore the bovine is seemingly more represented and protected than any other farm animal in sanctuaries across the United States. The question is why the bovine, and how much has religion played a role in elevating this particular animal above all others. Furthermore, what constitutes a sanctuary? Does -
Exploring the Utility of Memes for US Government Influence Campaigns
Exploring the Utility of Memes for U.S. Government Influence Campaigns Vera Zakem, Megan K. McBride, Kate Hammerberg April 2018 Cleared for Public Release DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release: distribution unlimited. D RM-2018-U-017433-Final This document contains the best opinion of CNA at the time of issue. It does not necessarily represent the opinion of the sponsor. Distribution DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release: distribution unlimited. SPECIFIC AUTHORITY: N00014-16-D-5003 4/17/2018 Request additional copies of this document through [email protected]. Photography Credit: Toy Story meme created via imgflip Meme Generator, available at https://imgflip.com/memegenerator, accessed March 24, 2018. Approved by: April 2018 Dr. Jonathan Schroden, Director Center for Stability and Development Center for Strategic Studies This work was performed under Federal Government Contract No. N00014-16-D-5003. Copyright © 2018 CNA Abstract The term meme was coined in 1976 by Richard Dawkins to explore the ways in which ideas spread between people. With the introduction of the internet, the term has evolved to refer to culturally resonant material—a funny picture, an amusing video, a rallying hashtag—spread online, primarily via social media. This CNA self-initiated exploratory study examines memes and the role that memetic engagement can play in U.S. government (USG) influence campaigns. We define meme as “a culturally resonant item easily shared or spread online,” and develop an epidemiological model of inoculate / infect / treat to classify and analyze ways in which memes have been effectively used in the online information environment. Further, drawing from our discussions with subject matter experts, we make preliminary observations and identify areas for future research on the ways that memes and memetic engagement may be used as part of USG influence campaigns. -
Internet Memes and Desensitization by Barbara Sanchez, University of Florida HSI Pathways to the Professoriate, Cohort 2
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2 Published January 2020 Internet Memes and Desensitization By Barbara Sanchez, University of Florida HSI Pathways to the Professoriate, Cohort 2 Abstract: Internet memes (IMs) have been used as a visual form of online rhetoric since the early 2000s. With hundreds of thousands now in circulation, IMs have become a prominent method of communication across the Internet. In this essay, I analyze the characteristics that have made IMs a mainstay in online communication. Understanding the definitions and structures of IMs aid in explaining their online success, especially on social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I use these understandings as a basis from which to theorize how both the creative process in making IMs and the prominence of IMs that utilize images of originally violent or sensitive contexts may relate to existing research correlating violent media and desensitization. The use of these images often involves a disconnection from their original contexts in order to create a new and distinct— in many cases irrelevant— message and meaning. These IMs, in turn, exemplify the belittlement of distress depicted in such images—often for the sake of humor. This essay’s main goal is to propose a new theoretical lens from which to analyze the social and cultural influences on IMs. The greater purpose of this essay is not to devalue Internet memes nor to define them in narrow terms nor to claim there is any causal relationship between Internet memes and societal desensitization. Rather, I am proposing a new lens through which to further study Internet memes’ social effects on online users’ conceptions of violence and/or sensitive topics. -
The Language of Internet Memes
9 Te Language of Internet Memes Patrick Davison In Te Future of the Internet—and How to Stop It, Jonathan Zittrain describes the features of a generative network. A generative network encour- ages and enables creative production and, as a system, possesses leverage, adaptability, ease of mastery, accessibility, and transferability.1 Notably absent from this list of characteristics, however, is security. Many of the character- istics that make a system generative are precisely the same ones that leave it vulnerable to exploitation. Tis zero-sum game between creativity and secu- rity implies a divided Internet. Tose platforms and communities which value security over creativity can be thought of as the “restricted web,” while those that remain generative in the face of other concerns are the “unrestricted web.” Te restricted web has its poster children. Facebook and other social net- working sites are growing at incredible speeds. Google and its ever-expand- ing corral of applications are slowly assimilating solutions to all our com- puting needs. Amazon and similar search-based commerce sites are creating previously unimagined economies.2 Metaphorically, these sites, and count- less others, make up the cities and public works of the restricted web. How- ever, the unrestricted web remains the wilderness all around them, and it is this wilderness that is the native habitat of Internet memes. Te purpose of this essay is twofold. Te frst is to contribute to a frame- work for discussing so-called Internet memes. Internet memes are popular and recognizable but lack a rigorous descriptive vocabulary. I provide a few terms to aid in their discussion. -
Internet-Memes in Chinese Mediasphere As a Reflection of Modern Reality D
© Kamla-Raj 2019 J Sociology Soc Anth, 10(4): 309-314 (2019) PRINT: ISSN 0976-6634 ONLINE: ISSN 2456-6764 DOI: 10.31901/24566764.2019/10.04.332 Internet-Memes in Chinese Mediasphere as a Reflection of Modern Reality D. A. Balakin1, A. R. Alikberova2 and S. A. Nazarova3 1,2Kazan Federal University, Department of Altai Studies and Sinology, Kazan, Russia 3Tashkent State Institute of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan E-mail: 1<[email protected]>, 2<[email protected]>, 3<[email protected]> KEYWORDS Chinese Culture. Chinese Internet. Language. Linguistic. Media Space. Modern Vocabulary ABSTRACT This study deals with the penetration of the Internet in all spheres of life, including its increasing influence on the political views of people. Internet memes are becoming a specific reflection of modern reality and a new kind of socio- political discourse. Therefore, the study aimed to study and analyze the most popular Internet memes in the Chinese media space, compare the main trends in modern Chinese, and determine their connection with key events within China and abroad. The main result of the study was the identification of new linguistic and cultural characteristics in the compilation of the Internet meme. Moreover, during the study, it was proved that most of the Internet memes are socially or politically colored, some of them penetrate from unofficial Internet space to a higher language level and are included in the generally accepted active language reserve. INTRODUCTION cultural ideas, symbols, or practices that can be transmitted from one mind to another through The Internet has rapidly entered the everyday writing, speech, gestures, rituals, or other life of everyone, and now it is no longer just a imitable phenomena with a mimicked theme. -
Great Meme War:” the Alt-Right and Its Multifarious Enemies
Angles New Perspectives on the Anglophone World 10 | 2020 Creating the Enemy The “Great Meme War:” the Alt-Right and its Multifarious Enemies Maxime Dafaure Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/angles/369 ISSN: 2274-2042 Publisher Société des Anglicistes de l'Enseignement Supérieur Electronic reference Maxime Dafaure, « The “Great Meme War:” the Alt-Right and its Multifarious Enemies », Angles [Online], 10 | 2020, Online since 01 April 2020, connection on 28 July 2020. URL : http:// journals.openedition.org/angles/369 This text was automatically generated on 28 July 2020. Angles. New Perspectives on the Anglophone World is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The “Great Meme War:” the Alt-Right and its Multifarious Enemies 1 The “Great Meme War:” the Alt- Right and its Multifarious Enemies Maxime Dafaure Memes and the metapolitics of the alt-right 1 The alt-right has been a major actor of the online culture wars of the past few years. Since it came to prominence during the 2014 Gamergate controversy,1 this loosely- defined, puzzling movement has achieved mainstream recognition and has been the subject of discussion by journalists and scholars alike. Although the movement is notoriously difficult to define, a few overarching themes can be delineated: unequivocal rejections of immigration and multiculturalism among most, if not all, alt- right subgroups; an intense criticism of feminism, in particular within the manosphere community, which itself is divided into several clans with different goals and subcultures (men’s rights activists, Men Going Their Own Way, pick-up artists, incels).2 Demographically speaking, an overwhelming majority of alt-righters are white heterosexual males, one of the major social categories who feel dispossessed and resentful, as pointed out as early as in the mid-20th century by Daniel Bell, and more recently by Michael Kimmel (Angry White Men 2013) and Dick Howard (Les Ombres de l’Amérique 2017). -
Social Media and Meme Culture: a Study on the Impact of Internet Memes in Reference with ‘Kudathai Murder Case’
Mukt Shabd Journal Issn No : 2347-3150 Social Media and Meme Culture: A study on the impact of Internet Memes in reference with ‘Kudathai Murder Case’ Mr. Abdul Rasheed A P K, Ms. Carmel Maria, Ms.Anju Michael Assistant Professors, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, KristuJayanti College (Autonomous) Bengaluru Abstract The 21st century witnessed a tremendous growth of social media in almost every sphere of life. Several social media pages are keen on sarcasm and humour. There are pages which are exclusively dedicated to meme contents. Memes have become an integral part of the netizen vernacular. Trolls and memes are now the primary news source for youths. Memes are being shared from person to person and is now treated as a cultural unit. Kerala, Southern State of India, got a large number of audiences as end receivers for troll memes and also provides a platform for troll makers too. In this light, this paper discusses on how memes portray crime beats and its influence on the digital audience with special reference to ‘Kudathai murder case’. The qualitative analysis carried out reveals that trolls and memes played a vital role in moulding public opinion.Thus, the paper tries to find out how memes act as a powerful means of communication that frames general public’s opinion on criminal acts that happens in the social domain. Keywords: Meme culture, Crime beat, digital audience, public opinion Volume IX Issue VI, JUNE/2020 Page No : 1985 Mukt Shabd Journal Issn No : 2347-3150 1.1 Introduction Online trolls and memes have been considered as an important factor that has a major impact on socio-political, lingual and cultural issues. -
Meme World Syndrome: a Critical Discourse Analysis of the First World Problems and Third World Success Internet Memes
MEME WORLD SYNDROME: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS AND THIRD WORLD SUCCESS INTERNET MEMES by ROBERT CURRY CHANDLER B.A. Pepperdine University, 2008 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Nicholson School of Communication in the College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2013 © 2013 Robert Curry Chandler ii ABSTRACT This thesis applies the theory and method of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine the ideological components of the First World Problems (FWP) and Third World Success (TWS) Internet memes. Drawing on analytical concepts from CDA and related perspectives, such as multimodal discourse analysis and social semiotics, the paper analyzes the visual and textual elements of a sample of the FWP and TWS memes. The paper argues that the text and images featured in the memes are ideologically salient and discursively construct oppositional binaries between “us” and “them” in terms of wealth disparity. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER